Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his personal struggle with alcohol and his path to sobriety. However, there is one specific event that he had not previously discussed publicly until recently: the time he came dangerously close to receiving a DUI after driving while under the influence.
In an interview with Elizabeth Vargas on her Heart of the Matter podcast, Kelley confesses that when he used to consume alcohol, it became a regular habit for him to have "four or five drinks" while playing golf in a single day and then drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that she was driving under the influence while heading home. Despite the short duration of the drive, there were instances where she realized how foolish and perilous her actions were. The following day, she reflected on the situation and realized the potential harm she could have caused to others or even herself.
On one 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, giving him the freedom to indulge in as much alcohol as he desired without any familial responsibilities. He spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. As the night was coming to an end, some other customers at the bar began to express worry about whether or not Kelley intended to drive back home.
"And I thought to myself, 'If I don't drive back, my wife will ask, 'Where's your car?'' Even though I could have gotten it the next morning without her knowing since she wasn't there," he explains.
However, with a strong determination to make his way home by himself, he managed to quietly exit the bar through the back and drove off. However, he was stopped by law enforcement during the extremely brief journey back to his residence.
After inspecting my license, the police officer asked me if I was the person from that band. I confirmed it, and instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to pull over and personally drove me home. Surprisingly, he didn't issue me a ticket or any penalties. I was amazed and relieved that I had narrowly escaped a potentially serious situation.
However, the incident served as a moment of realization for Kelley. He recognized the importance of informing his wife about what had transpired.
The singer expresses their feelings of frustration and exhaustion after being pulled over, stating that they felt like giving up. They believed that their actions could have potentially caused significant harm to their life and caused unnecessary trouble for the band. They acknowledge that it would have resulted in negative media attention, which they wanted to avoid.
He made a promise to himself to stop drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually relapsed and returned to his previous drinking habits. It took another year for him to finally seek help and make a complete dedication to living a sober life.
Following his rehabilitation, it didn't take much time for Kelly to share his struggle with alcohol with Lady A fans. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase about the decision to postpone their 2022 Request Line Tour in order to prioritize Kelley's early stages of sobriety. Kelley personally made the choice to be honest about the situation, while his bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, had considered providing alternate explanations for the tour delay.
Kelley expressed that she was not ashamed and wanted to be honest about the difficult task she had undertaken. Instead of taking the easy way out by continuing to drink and destroying everything, she chose to face her challenges head-on. She mentioned feeling grateful for this experience, which marked a turning point for her decision to share it with others. As a result, the situation has gradually progressed in a positive and beneficial manner.
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