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 was one particular incident that he had never directly addressed until recently. He revealed that there was a time when he came close to getting 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 frequent habit for him to consume "four or five drinks" while playing golf in a day, and then proceed to 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 level of stupidity and danger involved. The following day, she reflected on the situation and came to the realization that her actions could have resulted in the death of another individual or even herself.
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. This gave Kelley the freedom to drink without any family 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 back 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 next morning. It's not like she would have known since she wasn't there," he retells.
However, with a strong resolve to return home alone, he discreetly left the bar through the rear exit and departed in his vehicle. Unfortunately, during the brief journey to his house, he was stopped by law enforcement.
The police officer examined my driver's license and asked, "Are you the person in that band?" I responded affirmatively. Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to pull over my car and personally drove me home. He didn't issue me a ticket or any penalties. I was astonished and relieved, thinking to myself, "Wow, I narrowly escaped a potentially serious situation."
Nevertheless, the occurrence served as a sudden realization for Kelley, prompting him to recognize the urgency of informing his spouse about what had transpired.
The singer expresses their feelings of frustration and exhaustion, stating that they felt like giving up. They had recently been pulled over and realized that their actions could have had severe consequences, causing a lot of trouble for the band. They acknowledge that it would have resulted in negative publicity, which they wanted to avoid.
He made a strong decision to stop consuming alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually he relapsed and returned to his previous habits of drinking. It took him another year before he finally sought professional help and fully dedicated himself to a life of sobriety.
Following his rehabilitation, it didn't take Kelly much time to reveal to Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their loyal supporters, explaining that the postponement of their 2022 Request Line Tour was primarily to safeguard Kelley's newly acquired sobriety. It was Kelley's personal choice to be open about this matter. However, his fellow band members, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, initially proposed offering alternative explanations for the band's decision to not embark on the tour.
Kelley expressed that she was not ashamed of her actions and believed in being honest about them. She acknowledged that the easiest path would have been to continue drinking and destroy everything. However, she chose to be grateful for her current situation. This moment marked a turning point for her, leading her to decide to share her story. As a result, her decision 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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