Musician Toya Delazy is celebrating a year of being sober, and she has opened up to her followers about her journey.
“I'm 1 year sober today; I started drinking later than most; I had my first drink at 17; I never forgot that feeling of numbness and power; and as problems came with life, the more I saw alcohol as a friend.”
The artist detailed how alcohol became like a solution to everything, and after her break in the South African entertainment industry her relationship with alcohol grew.
“When I eventually broke into the South African music scene, that is where I really dove into booze; it was free, & the entire industry thrived on alcohol consumption, it felt like the higher the price, the cooler you were. I'm talking radio ads, music videos, clubbing, gigs; every single link up involved alcohol, and I fell hard for it.”
Delazy went on to share the experiences she experienced because of being inebriated, admitting to even being suicidal.
“Each time I drank, everything would escalate very quickly; there would come a time where I would leave my body and the spirit of pain would consume me, & I would become very sad, angry, and eventually suicidal.”
When it came to making the decision, Delazy shared that she equipped herself with a supportive community and admits it was a difficult transition.
“2022 I found a community which supported me & a counsellor I had to call everyday for a month. It was a difficult transition as all the emotions that had been swept under the rug stood in a towering heap & I had to deal with it SOBER”.
Delazy’s daughter Kali Langa was her biggest motivation, as she wanted to free her from the trauma she had experienced.