Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his personal struggle with sobriety. However, there is one particular incident that he has never addressed directly in the past – the moment when he came dangerously close to receiving a DUI while driving under the influence.
In an interview on the Heart of the Matter podcast with Elizabeth Vargas, Kelley confesses that when he consumed alcohol, it became a regular habit for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf, and afterwards, he would drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses to driving while under the influence of alcohol. The distance of the drive was only 10 minutes, but there were instances during the journey where Kelley recognized the extreme foolishness and riskiness of their actions. The following day, Kelley reflected on the incident and realized the potential consequences, acknowledging that they could have caused harm to someone else or even lost their own life.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with driving under the influence (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 without any familial responsibilities. He spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. Towards the end of the night, fellow customers began showing worry about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
"I thought to myself, 'If I don't drive back, my wife will surely ask, 'Where's your car?'' Even though I could have retrieved it the following morning. She wouldn't have been aware since she wasn't present," he recalls.
However, with a strong resolve to make the journey back alone, he discreetly exited the bar through the rear exit and departed in his vehicle. Within a brief distance of driving towards his residence, 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 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 citation or anything. I was amazed and relieved that I escaped any consequences.
Nevertheless, the occurrence served as a reminder for Kelley that he needed to inform his spouse about what had transpired.
The singer expresses feeling utterly drained and fed up, thinking, "I've had enough. This is too tiring. I just experienced being stopped by the police. It felt like I had come dangerously close to ruining my entire existence. It caused so much turmoil for the band." Naturally, they were aware of the negative impact it would have had on their reputation.
He made a promise to himself to stop drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation. However, he eventually fell back into his old habits of drinking. It took another entire year before he finally decided to seek professional help and fully dedicate himself to a life of sobriety.
Following his time in rehabilitation, it didn't take long for Kelly to inform Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country group was transparent with their loyal fanbase, explaining that the postponement of their 2022 Request Line Tour was to prioritize Kelley's early stages of sobriety. This decision to be honest with their fans was made by Kelley himself. However, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, his bandmates, had proposed finding alternative reasons for the band's absence from the tour.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame in admitting that what she had done was the most challenging thing she had ever experienced. Instead of taking the easy way out by continuing to drink and destroying everything in her life, she acknowledged her gratitude for the situation. This realization marked a turning point for her, leading her to decide to share her story. Since then, things have been progressing in a positive and beneficial manner.
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