Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his personal journey to sobriety. However, there is one particular incident that he had not previously discussed, until recently. He has now revealed that there was a time when he came close to receiving a DUI while driving under the influence.
In a recent interview on the Heart of the Matter podcast hosted by Elizabeth Vargas, Kelley confessed that while he was consuming alcohol, it became a regular habit for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf and then proceed to drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that she was driving under the influence of alcohol while heading home. Although the journey lasted only 10 minutes, there were instances where she realized the immense stupidity and danger of her actions. The following day, she reflected on the situation and came to the realization that she could have caused harm to someone else or even lost her own life.
On one specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with driving under the influence (DUI). This incident occurred during the Christmas season, as he recalls, when his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days. This meant that Kelley had no family responsibilities and could freely consume alcohol to his heart's content. He spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. As the night drew to a close, other customers at the bar began expressing worry about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
"And I thought to myself, 'If I don't drive back, my wife will ask, 'Where's your car?'' Even though I could have retrieved it the following morning. She would have been unaware since she wasn't present," he recalls.
However, he was determined to go home alone, so he quietly left through the rear exit of the bar and began driving. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the police during the brief journey back to his house.
The police officer checked my driver's license and asked if I was the person from that band. I confirmed that I was, and 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 me a ticket or any punishment. I was amazed and relieved that I had managed to avoid any trouble.
However, the incident served as a reminder for Kelley that he needed to inform his spouse about the occurrence.
"I felt completely exhausted and decided that I had reached my limit. I had just been pulled over by the police, and it felt like I had come dangerously close to ruining my entire life. On top of that, I had caused a lot of chaos for the band. It was clear to me that if this incident had received media attention, it would have been very damaging for our reputation," the vocalist elaborates.
He made a firm decision to stop consuming alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually relapsed and returned to his previous drinking habits. It took another year for him to finally seek professional help and fully dedicate himself to a sober lifestyle.
Following his rehabilitation, it didn't take much time for Kelly to share his struggles with alcohol with Lady A fans. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase, explaining that they postponed their 2022 Request Line Tour to prioritize Kelley's early stages of sobriety. This decision to be honest about his situation was made by Kelley himself. His fellow band members, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, initially proposed using different explanations for why the band wasn't embarking on tour.
"I told myself, 'No, let's be honest… I'm not ashamed of this… This is the most difficult thing I have ever done,'" Kelley explains. It would have been easier to continue drinking and destroy everything. I said, 'I am thankful for this.'" Kelley goes on to say, "…And that was when things started to change, like, 'Okay, I suppose I'm going to share it now.' So it has gained momentum in a very positive and beneficial manner."
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