Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his path to sobriety. However, there is one particular event that he has never directly addressed until recently. It is the incident where he came close to receiving a DUI while driving under the influence of alcohol.
Kelley confesses in an interview with Elizabeth Vargas on her Heart of the Matter podcast that when he consumed alcohol, it became a regular habit for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf, and then he would proceed to drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that she was operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The distance she had to cover was only 10 minutes, but there were a few instances during the journey where she realized the extreme foolishness and potential danger of her actions. The following day, she reflected on the situation and came to the realization that she could have caused harm to someone else or even lost her own life.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with driving under the influence. It happened during the Christmas season, and he recalls that his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, which gave him the freedom to drink without any familial responsibilities. He spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar, and as the night neared its end, other customers began expressing worry about whether Kelley intended to drive back home.
He recalls thinking, "If I don't drive back, my wife will ask where my car is." He could have easily gotten it the next morning without her noticing, as she wasn't present at the time.
However, with a strong resolve to return home by himself, he discreetly left the bar through the rear exit and began driving away. Unfortunately, he was stopped by law enforcement on the extremely brief journey back to his residence.
The police officer checked my driver's license and asked if I was the person from that band. I confirmed that I was indeed part of the band. Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to park my car and personally drove me home. I was surprised and relieved that he didn't issue me a ticket. It was a close call, and I couldn't believe my luck.
However, the incident served as a significant reminder for Kelley, prompting him to realize that he needed to inform his spouse about what had transpired.
"I reached a point where I felt completely drained. I had just been pulled over by the police, and it felt like I had come dangerously close to ruining my entire life. The situation caused a lot of turmoil within the band, and I couldn't help but think about the negative impact it would have had on our reputation."
He made a firm decision to stop consuming alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation and cravings. However, he eventually relapsed and fell back into his previous drinking habits. It took him an additional year before he finally sought professional help and completely dedicated himself to a life of sobriety.
Following his time in rehabilitation, it didn't take long for Kelly to inform Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their loyal supporters, explaining that they had decided to postpone their 2022 Request Line Tour in order to prioritize Kelley's newfound sobriety. It was Kelley himself who made the choice to be honest about the situation. On the other hand, his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood had proposed using alternative explanations for why the band was not embarking on the tour.
Kelley expressed that she was not ashamed of her actions and wanted to be honest about her experience, acknowledging that it was the most challenging thing she had ever done. Instead of taking the easy way out by continuing to drink and destroying everything, she chose to be grateful for the situation. This moment of gratitude became a turning point for her, leading her to decide to share her story. As a result, her decision to share has had a positive and beneficial impact on her life.
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