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 specific incident that he had not previously discussed until recently: the moment when he came dangerously close to receiving a DUI while 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 have "four or five drinks" while playing golf in a single day and then proceed to drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that they were driving while under the influence of alcohol on their way home. Although the journey only lasted for 10 minutes, there were instances where Kelley realized the recklessness and potential danger of their actions. Reflecting on the situation the following day, Kelley expressed a deep sense of regret and acknowledged that their actions had the potential to cause harm or even death to themselves or others.
On one specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with a DUI. It was during the Christmas season, and his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, giving him the freedom to consume as much alcohol as he pleased without any family responsibilities. He spent the day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. As the night was coming to an end, other people at the bar began to express worry about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
"I thought to myself, if I don't go back and drive my car, my wife will question me about its whereabouts. Even though I could have retrieved it the following morning without her knowing, she was not there," he recalls.
However, with a strong determination to make his way home alone, he discreetly left through the rear exit of the bar and proceeded to drive away. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the police during the extremely brief journey back to his residence.
The police officer examined my driver's license and asked if I was the person from that band. I confirmed it was me. Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to park my car and kindly drove me home. He didn't issue me any citations. I was amazed and relieved by how lucky I was to avoid any consequences.
However, the occurrence served as a strong reminder for Kelley, prompting him to realize that he needed to inform his spouse about what had transpired.
"I felt completely drained and ready to give up. The situation was overwhelming. I had just been stopped by the police, and it felt like I had come dangerously close to ruining my entire life. Not only that, but I had also caused a lot of turmoil and disorder within the band. It would have been a terrible situation for the media to exploit, without a doubt," the vocalist adds.
He made a firm decision to stop consuming alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation. However, he eventually succumbed to his previous drinking habits. It took another year before he finally sought professional help and fully dedicated himself to achieving sobriety.
Following his rehabilitation, it didn't take much time for Kelly to share his struggles with alcohol to Lady A fans. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase, explaining that the main reason for postponing their 2022 Request Line Tour was to prioritize Kelley's ongoing recovery. This decision to be honest was made by Kelley himself. His fellow bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, had initially proposed using different explanations for why the band wouldn't be embarking on tour.
"I refused to hide the truth and admitted that I wasn't ashamed of my actions. This was the most challenging thing I've ever faced," Kelley explains. "Taking the easy way out would have involved continuing to drink and destroying everything. Instead, I expressed gratitude for the situation." Kelley goes on to say, "That moment marked a turning point for me, where I decided to share my experience. Since then, things have been progressing positively and in a good direction."
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