Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his path to sobriety. However, there was one event he had not previously discussed until recently. He revealed that there was a time when he came dangerously close to receiving a DUI charge 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 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 under the influence on their way home. Despite it being a short 10-minute drive, there were instances where they realized how incredibly foolish and perilous their actions were. The following day, they were struck with the realization that they could have caused harm to someone else or even lost their own life.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close encounter with being charged with DUI. It happened during the Christmas season, and he recollects that his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, giving him the freedom to consume alcohol without any familial responsibilities. Kelley spent the day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. As the night drew to a close, fellow customers began expressing worry about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
"I thought to myself, 'If I don't drive back, my wife will ask me, 'Where's your car?' Even though I could have retrieved it the following morning. She wouldn't have been aware since she wasn't present," he recalls.
However, with a strong determination to go back home alone, he discreetly left through the rear exit of the bar and began driving away. Unfortunately, during the brief journey back to his residence, he was stopped by the police.
The police officer checked my driver's license and asked if I was the person in that band. I confirmed and he didn't arrest me for driving under the influence. Instead, he instructed me to park my car and drove me home. He didn't issue any ticket or penalty. I was surprised and relieved that I had narrowly avoided trouble.
Nevertheless, the occurrence served as a moment of realization for Kelley, prompting him to feel the need to inform his spouse about the incident.
The singer expresses that they were feeling completely exhausted and fed up. They had just experienced being pulled over and realized that they had come dangerously close to ruining their life. They were also aware that this incident would have caused a lot of negative publicity for the band, which would have been extremely undesirable.
He made a firm decision to stop drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually relapsed and fell back into his old drinking habits. It took him another year to finally seek professional help and truly dedicate himself to a life of sobriety.
Following his stay in rehab, it didn't take much time for Kelly to share with Lady A fans his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their loyal fanbase, explaining that the main reason for the postponement of their 2022 Request Line Tour was to ensure Kelley's newly achieved sobriety remained intact. It was Kelley's personal choice to be honest about this matter. Meanwhile, his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood suggested using different explanations to justify why the band wouldn't be embarking on the tour.
"I told myself, 'No, let's be truthful … I have no shame about this … This is the most challenging thing I have ever faced.' It would have been easier to continue drinking and destroy everything in my life. I expressed gratitude for this situation," Kelley explains. "… And that was the moment when I decided, 'Okay, I guess I'm going to share it now.' So it has gradually gained momentum in a very positive and beneficial manner."
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