By Gayle ThompsonOriginal Source: popculture.comWalker Hayes is an alcoholic. But he's an alcoholic who is holding on to sobriety – sometimes easily, sometimes with a white-knuckled grip – because he knows the dangers of picking up one more beer."I'm only two years sober. I still fight it all the time," Hayes tells PopCulture.com. "If you take a look around, there's a lot of people leaning on alcohol these days, or substances in general. Life sucks and it's heavy. Alcohol is an immediate courage giver. It's an immediate relief, band-aid. Sometimes we all seek those things to help us along."Hayes didn't always have a problem with drinking. It wasn't until his first record deal failed, and he found himself struggling to support his family that alcohol became a way for him to numb the pain, and dull the constant ache resting inside of him."I leaned on it heavily, with the pressures of not being able to provide," shares Hayes. "Nashville kind of chewed me up, spit me out. I was embarrassed. The shame was painful, and then I would drink. Then the shame of being a drunk made me drink even more. It was kind of a cyclical thing, because growing up, looking at some of my brothers, I always said I'd never be like them, and then I kind of looked at myself at some point and said, 'Wow, I'm just like them, if not worse.' Shame on me for judging them ever. I was such a stupid kid."...click here to continue reading