Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his path to sobriety. However, there's a particular incident that he has never discussed directly until recently: the moment when he almost received 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 a regular habit for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf, and then he would drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that they were driving under the influence while heading home. Although the drive only lasted for 10 minutes, there were instances during the journey where Kelley realized the extreme foolishness and danger of their actions. The following day, Kelley came to the realization that their reckless behavior could have resulted in the loss of someone else's life or even their own.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with driving under the influence. It occurred during the Christmas season, and he vividly recalls that his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, granting him the freedom to consume as much alcohol as he desired without any familial responsibilities. Kelley spent a day indulging in both golf and alcoholic beverages at a nearby bar. Towards the end of the evening, fellow patrons began expressing worry about whether he intended to drive back home.
"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 wouldn't have been aware because she wasn't present," he recalls.
However, with a strong resolve to return home alone, he managed to quietly leave through the rear exit of the bar and departed in his vehicle. Unfortunately, during the brief journey towards his house, he was stopped by the police.
The police officer checked my driver's license and asked, "Are you the person in that band?" I responded, "Yes." 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 that I had avoided a potentially serious situation.
However, the incident served as a moment of realization for Kelley. He realized that he needed to inform his wife about what had occurred.
"I felt completely drained and overwhelmed. I had just been pulled over by the police, and it felt like I had come dangerously close to ruining my entire life. The situation I was in also caused a lot of turmoil for the band. It would have resulted in extremely negative publicity, which would have been disastrous."
He made a decision to stop consuming alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually fell back into his previous habits of drinking. It took an additional year before he finally sought professional help and fully dedicated himself to a life of abstinence from alcohol.
Following his time in rehab, it didn't take long for Kelly to inform Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase, explaining that the postponement of their 2022 Request Line Tour was necessary to support Kelley's early stages of sobriety. This decision to be honest was made by Kelley himself, while his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood had initially proposed giving different reasons for the tour delay.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame in admitting that what she was currently doing was the most challenging thing she had ever faced. Instead of taking the easier route of continuing to drink and causing destruction, she chose to be honest and grateful for her situation. This realization marked a turning point for her, leading to her decision to share her experience. As a result, her decision has had a positive and beneficial impact on her life.
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