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 incident that he has never openly discussed until recently. This incident involved him almost receiving a DUI while driving under the influence.
In an interview on Elizabeth Vargas' podcast called "Heart of the Matter," Kelley confesses that when he used to consume alcohol, it became a regular habit 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 driving under the influence on their way home. Despite the short distance of the drive, there were instances where they realized the extreme recklessness and danger of their actions. The following day, they reflected on the situation and realized the potential harm they could have caused to others or even themselves.
On a specific occasion, Kelley came very close to being charged with a DUI. This 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 consume alcohol without any familial responsibilities. He spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. As the night came to a close, fellow customers at the bar began to worry about whether Kelley intended to drive himself home.
The person in question recalls thinking, "If I don't go back home by driving, my wife will question me about where my car is." However, they could have easily retrieved the car the following morning without their wife knowing, as she was not present.
However, he was determined to make the journey back to his house alone, so he discreetly exited through the rear of the bar and started driving. Unfortunately, he didn't have much distance to cover before he was stopped by the police.
The police officer examined 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 personally drove me home. He didn't issue a ticket or any penalties. I was amazed and relieved by the fortunate outcome.
However, the occurrence served as a reminder for Kelley that he needed to inform his spouse about the incident.
"I felt completely drained and decided that I had reached my limit. I had just been stopped by the police, and it was a moment that could have potentially destroyed my life. Moreover, it would have caused a great deal of negative attention for the band, which would have been extremely detrimental," expresses the vocalist.
He made a promise to himself to stop drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually fell back into his old habits of drinking. It took him another year before he finally decided to seek help and fully dedicate himself to living a sober life.
Following his rehabilitation, it didn't take much time for Kelly to inform Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase about the postponement of their 2022 Request Line Tour, attributing it to the need to safeguard Kelley's early stages of sobriety. This decision to be honest was made by Kelley himself. His fellow band members, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, had proposed offering alternative explanations for the band's tour delay.
Kelley expressed that she was not ashamed of her actions and wanted to be honest about them. She acknowledged that what she had done was extremely difficult. Instead of taking the easy way out by continuing to drink and destroying everything, she chose to face her problems head-on. Kelley mentioned that she was grateful for this experience, which marked a turning point for her. She decided to share her story, and it has since gained momentum in a positive and beneficial manner.
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