Michael Hayes says he has passed two years without a drink, and that his past attempts at rehab did not work because he never wanted to stop.
Hayes shared the milestone with Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon.
Hayes told McMahon he “passed two years last Thursday.” When she congratulated him, he said, “It really, really is.”
Hayes said he started drinking at “probably 11 or 12, but consistently 14, 15.” When McMahon noted he had lived that lifestyle for a long time, Hayes joked, “Well, you should know you sent me to rehab enough.”
He said the difference this time was that he wanted to get sober.
“The only reason I can say is God and my willingness to give it a shot, because any other time I went to rehab, I always had in the back of my mind how and when I was going to start drinking again,” Hayes said.
“It can’t be ‘have to.’ ‘Have to’ can start you. Like, ‘I have to do right,’ sometimes, ‘keep my job,'” he continued. “‘I have to keep my family.’ That can start you, but if you can’t get to ‘I want to,’ then it’s not going to work.”
Hayes credited his last stay in rehab, and former WWE wrestler Shannon Moore, who he said was there and helped him.
“The last one I went to at Riverside was really really cool and it was very helpful. Shannon Moore was there, who used to wrestle for us,” Hayes said. “He helped me out immensely.”
Hayes also said he is “California sober.”
“Let’s get one thing straight. I’m California sober. Okay, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend like I’m a holy roller, because I ain’t,” he said.
He said he does not think everyone has to quit drinking, but that he cannot drink.
“I’m not saying everybody has to be sober, because some people can drink and they’re good with it. I’m just not one of those people,” Hayes said. “It’s a constant work in progress, right? It is definitely a work in progress. And you know, this is a saying they have in AA is that when you get sober, the good thing is you get your feelings back, and when you get sober, the bad thing is you get your feelings back.”
In February, Hayes said on Six Feet Under with The Undertaker that he was almost 17 months without a drink.
Hayes, a WWE Hall of Famer as a member of the Fabulous Freebirds, has worked for WWE behind the scenes for decades as a longtime producer.
