Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his personal journey towards sobriety. However, there is one particular incident that he had not previously discussed until recently: the moment when he came dangerously close to receiving a DUI while driving under the influence.
Kelley confessed on Elizabeth Vargas' Heart of the Matter podcast that when he consumed alcohol, it became a regular habit for him to consume "four or five drinks" while playing golf, and later he would drive himself back home.
Kelley acknowledged that she was operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Although the distance she had to travel was only ten minutes, there were instances during the journey where she realized the extreme foolishness and danger of her actions. The following day, she felt a strong sense of remorse and recognized the potential consequences of her reckless behavior, realizing that she could have caused harm to someone else or even lost her own life.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with getting charged for driving under the influence (DUI). This incident occurred during the Christmas season, and Kelley 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 indulging in golf and drinks at a nearby bar. Towards the end of the evening, fellow customers at the bar began expressing worry over whether Kelley intended to drive home.
He said, "I thought to myself, if I don't drive back, my wife will ask me where my car is." Even though I could have retrieved it the following morning, she wouldn't have been aware because she wasn't present.
However, with a strong resolve to return home alone, he discreetly left through the rear exit of the bar and began driving away. Unfortunately, during the brief distance he covered on his way back to his house, he was stopped by the police.
The police officer glanced at 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 drove me home. He didn't issue me a ticket or any penalties. I was amazed and relieved, thinking to myself, "Wow, that was a close call."
Nevertheless, the occurrence served as a sudden realization for Kelley, prompting him to understand the urgency of informing his spouse about what had transpired.
The singer expressed their frustration, saying that they were completely exhausted and had reached a breaking point. They had just been pulled over and realized that their actions could have potentially ruined their life and caused a lot of trouble for the band. They acknowledged that it would have resulted in negative publicity, which would have been extremely detrimental.
He made a promise to himself to quit drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually relapsed into his previous drinking habits. It took him another year before he finally sought professional help and made a wholehearted commitment to living a sober life.
Following his time in rehab, 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, explaining that the preservation of Kelley's early stages of sobriety was the primary reason for postponing their 2022 Request Line Tour. It was Kelley's personal choice to be honest with their supporters, while his bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, initially proposed devising alternative explanations for the band's decision not to go on tour.
"I expressed, 'No, let's be truthful … I have no shame about this … This is the most difficult thing I have ever done.' The simpler option would have been to continue drinking and destroy everything. I mentioned, 'I am thankful for this,'" Kelley explains. "… And that moment was when things started to change, like, 'Okay, I suppose I'm going to share it now.' So it has gradually gained momentum in a very optimistic and beneficial manner."
Here are 18 country artists who have chosen to live a sober lifestyle. Additionally, we have compiled a list of 11 great country songs that revolve around the theme
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