A Note from Princess: Before you dive into this folder, I want to hold space for you. Today, I’m opening up about my journey with alcoholism and the mental health pressures that led me there. If this is a sensitive topic for you, please take a deep breath and read only what you’re ready for. You are in a safe place, and you are not alone…
In a photo I recently shared, I am holding a folder labeled TRUTH. For a long time, the truth was something I tried to drown.
I wasn’t a “party drinker.” I was a mother drinking to survive the noise inside my own head. I drank because the world felt too loud, the pressure felt too heavy, and I didn’t know any other way to make my brain slow down. It wasn’t about having fun; it was about trying to stay sane.
The Stigma of the “Bad Mom”
When you’re a mother struggling with alcohol, the world is quick to label you as “bad.” But I am here to file that label under Lies. I wasn’t a bad person; I was a person in pain. Many of us are facing suicidal pressures and internal chaos that make us reach for a bottle just to numb the ache.
What’s Inside my Advocacy Folder:
If you are reading this and you’re where I used to be—using alcohol as a lifeline while the world judges you—here is what I have filed away for you:
• You are not a bad person. You are a human being trying to navigate a world that doesn’t always provide a map for mental health.
• You are going to be OK. The pressure feels like it will break you, but you are stronger than the weight.
• Alcohol is a liar. It promises to slow your brain down, but it actually keeps you trapped in the cycle of the very pressure you’re trying to escape.
• You don’t need it to survive. I thought I did. I was convinced it was my only tool. I was wrong.
Turning the Page
I definitely want to touch on my journey with alcoholism because it’s a part of my “Truth” folder that I refuse to hide anymore. By speaking it out loud, I take away its power over me and I give power back to you.
My website, Princesshayes.com, is a place where we don’t just talk about the highlight reel. We talk about the folders we were afraid to open.