The Drunken Cookie
“At the time, I experienced a really difficult break-up and the impact of that sent me into a spiralling depression. I started drinking a lot, my doctor upped my dose of antidepressants,It was then when Saifa felt at her lowest sitting in her hospital bed that her family begged her to reach out and find purpose. “My brother told me I needed something to live for and he reminded me of my dream to start a café.
But Saifa kept pushing through and after she created The Drunken Cookie Instagram account, which quickly gained traction , the business began to boom. “It just took off from there.”As a young woman of colour – Saifa’s mum is Indian and her father is Pakistani – and one that has battled with alcoholism and depression, the entrepreneur has truly overcome the odds to launch her successful Irish business. However, she still struggles with self-doubt.
“I used to use alcohol to deal with my stress because it numbs everything. But my drinking became out of control, to the point that it was life-threatening. When I told people I was going to rehab, they couldn’t believe it. They didn’t realise the stage that I was at. “My mum, my brother and my boyfriend visited me and shared how my addiction had hurt them and to see that… I realised how much they have been there for me. I was so wrapped up in myself that I didn’t notice it before, but I am so grateful now.
I think it shows that I’m human, that we’re all human. And despite my success, I still have a really tough time. I think it’s really important to share the bad as well because there is a lot of comparison going on and you could be comparing your chapter one to someone else’s chapter 15.”