Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his personal journey towards sobriety. However, there is one particular incident that he has never discussed directly until recently. He revealed that there was a time when he came very 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 frequent for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf in a day, and then he would drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that they were operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The distance they had to travel was only ten minutes, but there were instances during the journey where they realized the extreme foolishness and perilous nature of their actions. The following day, Kelley reflects on the gravity of the situation and realizes that their reckless behavior could have resulted in the loss of someone else's life or their own.
On one specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with driving under the influence. This happened during the Christmas season, and he recalls that his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, which meant he had no family responsibilities. With this freedom, he indulged in drinking as much as he desired, and even spent a day playing golf and consuming alcohol at a nearby bar. As the night was coming to an end, fellow customers at the bar began expressing worry about whether Kelley intended to drive back home.
"I thought to myself, if I don't drive back home, my wife will ask me where my car is," he recalls. "Even though I could have retrieved it the following morning without her knowing, she wasn't present at the time."
However, he was determined to make it back home alone, so he quietly left the bar through the rear exit and started driving. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the police during his very brief journey back to his house.
Kelley recalls that when the police officer checked his license, he asked if he was the person from the band. Kelley confirmed that he was indeed part of the band. Surprisingly, instead of taking him into custody for driving under the influence, the officer instructed him to park his car and personally drove Kelley home. The officer didn't issue any citations or penalties. Kelley was amazed and relieved that he had narrowly escaped trouble.
However, the occurrence served as a sudden realization for Kelley, prompting him to recognize the importance of informing his wife about what had transpired.
"I felt completely overwhelmed and decided that I had reached my limit. It was exhausting to go through the experience of getting pulled over, as it had the potential to completely derail my life. Not only that, but it would have caused a lot of negative attention for the band, which would have been terrible for our public image," 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 fell back into his old habits 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 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 fanbase, explaining that the postponement of their 2022 Request Line Tour was primarily to ensure Kelley's early stages of sobriety were safeguarded. Kelley made the decision to be honest about it, while his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood had initially proposed using alternative explanations for the tour delay.
"I responded by saying, 'No, let's be honest … I have no shame about this … This is the most difficult thing I have ever done.' Taking the easy way out would have meant continuing to drink and destroying everything. I expressed gratitude for this situation," Kelley explains. "… And that was when I realized, 'Okay, I guess I'm going to share it now.' So it has gradually gained momentum in a very positive and beneficial manner."
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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