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 specific incident that he has never discussed until recently. Kelley has revealed that there was a time when he came very 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 consumed alcohol, it became regular for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf in a day and then drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that they were driving under the influence while heading home. Despite it being just a 10-minute drive, there were instances where they realized how foolish and perilous their actions were. The following day, they deeply regretted their choices, realizing the potential harm they could have caused to others or even themselves.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with a DUI. It happened during the Christmas season, and 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. As the night drew to a close, other customers became worried about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
"I thought to myself, if I don't go back and drive my car home, my wife will ask me where it is. Even though I could have picked it up the next day without her knowing, since she wasn't there," he explains.
However, with a strong determination to go home alone, he discreetly left the bar through the back exit and started driving away. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the police during the extremely brief journey back to his house.
The police officer checked my driver's license and asked if I was the person in that band. I confirmed that I was. 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 other consequences. I was amazed and relieved that I got away with it.
However, the occurrence served as a moment of realization for Kelley, causing him to understand that he needed to disclose to his wife the details of what had transpired.
The singer expressed that they were completely exhausted and had reached a breaking point. They had just been pulled over and realized that they had put their life in serious jeopardy. They also acknowledged that their actions had caused a lot of chaos for the band, which would have resulted in negative publicity.
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 previous drinking habits. It took him another year before he finally sought help and fully dedicated himself to the process of becoming sober.
Following his rehabilitation, it didn't take much time for Kelly to reveal his struggle with alcohol to the fans of Lady A. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase, explaining that they postponed their 2022 Request Line Tour to support Kelley's early sobriety. This decision to be honest was made by Kelley himself. His bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, had proposed creating alternative reasons for the band's absence from the tour.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame and wanted to be honest about something that she considered to be the most difficult thing she had ever done. Instead of taking the easy way out by continuing to drink and destroying everything, she made the choice to be grateful for the situation. This decision marked a turning point for her, and she realized that she was ready to share her experience. Since then, the situation has progressed in a very positive and beneficial manner.
Here is a list of 18 country artists who have chosen to live a sober lifestyle. These individuals have made the decision to abstain from alcohol or drugs and focus on
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