Charles Kelley, 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 has never discussed openly until now – the moment when he came dangerously close to receiving a DUI while driving under the influence.
In an interview with Elizabeth Vargas on her Heart of the Matter podcast, Kelley confesses that when he consumed alcohol, it became a frequent habit for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf in a single day, and then he would drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that she was operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The distance she had to travel was only ten minutes, but there were instances during the journey where she realized the extreme stupidity and danger of her actions. The following day, she reflected on the situation and realized the potential consequences, acknowledging 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 being charged with a DUI. It happened during the Christmas season, and he recalls that his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days. This gave Kelley the freedom to drink as much as he pleased without any responsibilities towards his family. He spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. Towards the end of the night, other customers at the bar began to voice their worries about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
He recalls saying, "I thought to myself, if I don't drive back, my wife will ask me where my car is." Even though I could have picked it up the next morning without her knowing because she wasn't present.
However, with a strong resolve to return home by himself, he discreetly left the bar through the rear exit and began driving away. Unfortunately, during the extremely brief journey back to his residence, he was stopped by law enforcement.
The police officer examined my driver's license and asked if I was the person from that band. I confirmed that I was indeed part of the band. 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 escaped any consequences for my actions.
However, the incident served as a reminder for Kelley that he needed to inform his spouse about the situation that had unfolded.
The singer expresses their feeling of being completely worn out and frustrated. They had just been pulled over, and this incident had the potential to seriously damage their life and bring about a lot of negative attention for the band.
He made a firm decision to stop consuming alcohol and struggled for three months without it. However, he eventually fell back into his previous habits of drinking. It took another year for him to finally seek professional help and fully dedicate 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 they postponed their 2022 Request Line Tour to prioritize Kelley's newly achieved sobriety. This decision to be honest with the fans was made by Kelley himself. In contrast, his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood proposed creating alternative reasons for the band's absence from the tour.
Kelley expressed that she was not ashamed of her actions and believed in being honest about them. She acknowledged that what she had done was extremely difficult. Instead of taking the easy way out by continuing to drink and causing destruction, she chose a different path. Kelley mentioned that she felt grateful for the situation she was in, which marked a turning point for her. This led to her decision to share her experiences. As a result, her story has gained momentum in a positive and beneficial manner.
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