Charles Kelley, a member of the music group 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: the moment when he came dangerously close to receiving a DUI while driving under the influence.
In an interview on Elizabeth Vargas' Heart of the Matter podcast, Kelley confesses that when he consumed alcohol, it became a regular habit for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf and afterwards, he would drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that they were intoxicated while driving back home. Although the distance was only 10 minutes, there were instances where they realized the extreme foolishness and hazard of their actions. The following day, Kelley reflected upon the situation and expressed remorse, realizing the potential consequences of their actions, including the possibility of 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 his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, giving him the freedom to drink without any familial responsibilities. He spent the day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. Towards the end of the night, other customers at the bar began to worry about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
He recalls the situation where he thought to himself, "If I don't drive back, my wife will ask, 'Where's your car?'", even though he could have retrieved it the following morning without her knowing since she wasn't present.
However, with a strong resolve to get back home on his own, he discreetly exited the bar through the back and started driving away. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the police during the extremely brief journey to his house.
The police officer checked my driver's license and asked, "Are you the person in that band?" I replied, "Yes." Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to pull over and drove me home. He didn't issue me a ticket or any penalties. I was amazed and relieved that I had avoided a potentially serious situation.
However, the occurrence served as a reminder for Kelley to take action: he realized that he needed to inform his spouse about the incident.
"I felt completely drained and reached a breaking point. I had just been stopped by the police, and it was a close call that could have had severe consequences for my life. Moreover, it would have caused a lot of negative attention towards the band, which would have been extremely detrimental," explains the vocalist.
He made a firm decision to stop drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually, he fell back into his old habits of drinking. It took him another year before he finally sought help and fully dedicated himself to a life of sobriety.
Following his time in rehab, it didn't take Kelly very long to inform Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase, explaining that they had postponed their 2022 Request Line Tour in order to prioritize Kelley's early stages of sobriety. This decision to be honest was made by Kelley himself. His fellow band members, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, had initially proposed using alternative explanations as to why the band was not embarking on the tour.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame and believed in being honest about her experience, stating that it was the most difficult thing she had ever done. Instead of taking the easy way out by continuing to drink and destroying everything, she chose to face her challenges. Kelley mentioned feeling grateful for her journey, which marked a turning point for her decision to share her story. As a result, the positive response and support she received exceeded her expectations.
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