Charles Kelley, a member of Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans regarding his path to sobriety. However, there is one particular incident that he has never directly addressed until recently. Kelley has now revealed that there was a time when he came 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 was consuming alcohol, it became a regular thing for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf and then 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 potential danger of her actions. The following day, she reflected on the situation and realized the grave consequences that could have occurred, including causing harm to others or even losing her own life.
On one 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 as much as he pleased without any familial responsibilities. He spent a day playing golf and consuming alcohol at a nearby bar. As the night was ending, fellow customers at the bar began expressing worry about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
"I thought to myself, if I don't drive back, my wife will ask, 'Where's your car?'. Even though I could have picked it up the next morning and she wouldn't have known, because she wasn't there," he explains.
However, with a strong resolve to return home on his own, he discreetly left through the rear exit of the bar and started driving away. Unfortunately, during the incredibly brief journey back to his house, he was stopped by law enforcement.
The police officer checked my driver's license and asked if I was the person from that band. I confirmed that I was indeed part of the band. Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to pull over and kindly offered to drive me home for the remainder of the journey. He didn't issue me a ticket or any penalties. I was surprised and relieved that I had avoided a potentially serious situation.
However, the occurrence served as a sudden realization for Kelley. He understood that he needed to inform his spouse about what had transpired.
The singer expresses feeling utterly exhausted and fed up, saying that they reached a breaking point. They had just been pulled over and realized that their actions could have potentially destroyed their life and caused a lot of trouble for their band. They acknowledge that it would have resulted in negative media coverage, which would have been terrible.
He made a vow to stop drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually he relapsed and returned to his old habits of drinking. It took him 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 inform Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their loyal supporters, explaining that the primary reason for postponing their 2022 Request Line Tour was to ensure Kelley's newfound sobriety remained intact. This decision to be honest was made by Kelley himself. However, his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood had suggested fabricating alternate reasons for the band's absence on tour.
"I responded, 'No, let's be truthful … I have no shame about this … This is the most difficult thing I have ever experienced.' The simpler option would have been to continue drinking and destroy everything. I said, 'I am thankful for this,' 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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