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 addressed directly until recently. Kelley has now revealed that he had a close encounter with getting a DUI while operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
In an interview for Elizabeth Vargas' Heart of the Matter podcast, Kelley confesses that when he was consuming alcohol, it became a regular thing for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf, and then he would drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that she was operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Despite the short duration of the drive, there were instances where she realized the extreme foolishness and danger of her actions. Reflecting on the incident the following day, Kelley expressed a sense of remorse and the realization that her reckless behavior could have resulted in the loss of someone's life, including her own.
On a 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 without any familial responsibilities. He spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. Towards the end of the night, fellow customers at the bar began expressing worries about whether he intended to drive home.
"I thought to myself, if I don't drive back home, my wife will ask me where my car is," he tells the story. "Even though I could have easily retrieved it the next morning without her knowing since she wasn't there."
However, with a strong determination to return home alone, he discreetly left through the rear exit of the bar and departed in his vehicle. Unfortunately, during the brief journey back to his residence, he was stopped by the police.
The police officer glanced at 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 park my car and kindly offered to drive me home. He didn't issue me a ticket or any other penalties. I was extremely relieved and thought to myself, "Wow, I narrowly escaped a difficult situation."
However, the incident served as a sudden realization for Kelley, prompting him to understand that he needed to inform his spouse about what had transpired.
"I felt completely drained and decided that I had reached my limit. I had just been stopped by the police, and it was a close call that could have completely destroyed my life. The incident caused a lot of turmoil for the band, which would have resulted in negative publicity, which is something we definitely wanted to avoid," explains the vocalist.
He made a promise to himself to stop drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually relapsed and returned to his old habits of drinking. It took another year before he finally sought professional help and fully dedicated himself to a life of sobriety.
Following his rehabilitation, it didn't take much time for Kelly to disclose his struggle with alcohol to Lady A fans. The country trio was transparent with their loyal followers, explaining that they had postponed their 2022 Request Line Tour to ensure the protection of Kelley's early recovery. This decision was made by Kelley himself. On the other hand, his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood had proposed creating alternative explanations for the band's absence from the tour.
In her own words, 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 and face her situation head-on. She mentioned feeling grateful for this turning point, which led her to decide to share her experience. As a result, her decision to share has had a positive and beneficial impact.
Here are 18 country artists who have chosen to live a sober lifestyle. Additionally, we have compiled a list of 11 great country songs that revolve around the theme
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