Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has openly shared his personal journey towards sobriety with his fans. However, there was one particular incident that he had never directly addressed until recently. Kelley has now revealed that he had a close encounter with a DUI when he was driving under the influence.
In an episode of Elizabeth Vargas' Heart of the Matter podcast, Kelley confesses that when he consumed alcohol, it became a frequent habit for him to consume "four or five drinks" while playing golf in a single day, and then he would drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that they were driving under the influence while heading home. Despite it being a short 10-minute drive, there were instances during the journey where Kelley realized the extreme recklessness and danger of their actions. The following day, Kelley deeply reflected on the incident and realized the potential catastrophic consequences that could have resulted from their actions, including causing harm to others or even losing their own life.
On one specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with a DUI. It happened during the Christmas season, and he recalls that his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, giving him the freedom to drink as much as he pleased without any familial responsibilities. He spent a day playing golf and indulging in drinks at a nearby bar. As the night neared its end, other customers at the bar began to worry about whether Kelley intended to drive back home.
"So I thought to myself, if I don't drive back, my wife will ask me where my car is," he recalls. "Even though I could have retrieved it the next morning without her knowing, since she wasn't there."
However, with a strong resolve to make it back home alone, he quietly exited the rear of the bar and proceeded to drive away. Unfortunately, he was stopped by law enforcement during the extremely brief journey back to his residence.
The police officer glanced at my driver's license and asked, "Are you the person from that band?" I replied, "Yes." Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to park my car and kindly offered to drive me home. Surprisingly, he didn't issue me a ticket or take any further action. I was amazed and relieved, thinking to myself, "Wow, that was a close call."
However, the incident served as a sudden realization for Kelley, prompting him to recognize the importance of informing his wife about what had transpired.
The singer expresses their feelings by saying, "I reached a point where I felt completely drained. I had just been stopped by the police, and it was a near-disaster that could have ruined my life. Additionally, it would have caused a lot of negative attention for the band."
He made a promise to himself to stop drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation. However, he eventually gave in and returned to his previous habit of drinking. It took another year before he finally decided to seek professional help and fully dedicate himself to a life of sobriety.
Following his time in rehabilitation, it didn't take much time for Kelly to share his struggle with alcohol with Lady A fans. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase, explaining that the postponement of their 2022 Request Line Tour was primarily to protect Kelley's newly achieved sobriety. The decision to be honest about this matter was made by Kelley himself. While his bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, initially proposed using alternative explanations for the tour delay.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame in admitting that what she had done was the most challenging thing she had ever faced. Instead of taking the easy way out by continuing to drink and destroying everything, she chose to be honest with herself. She acknowledged that she was grateful for this experience, which marked a turning point for her. This realization prompted her to start sharing her story, and it has since gained momentum in a positive and beneficial manner.
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