Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his personal struggle with sobriety. However, he has never directly addressed a specific incident until now. Kelley has revealed that there was a time when he came close to receiving a DUI while driving under the influence of alcohol.
In an interview on Elizabeth Vargas' Heart of the Matter podcast, Kelley confesses that when he was consuming alcohol, it became a regular habit for him to consume "four or five drinks" while playing golf and then drive back home.
Kelley confesses that she was operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The distance she had to travel was only 10 minutes, but there were instances during the drive where she realized the extreme foolishness and danger of her actions. The following day, she reflected on her behavior and realized the potential consequences of her actions, 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, giving him the freedom to drink without any family responsibilities. He spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. As the night was coming to an end, fellow customers at the bar began to worry if Kelley intended to drive home.
"I thought to myself, if I don't go back to drive my car, my wife will ask me where it is. Even though I could have retrieved it the next morning without her knowing, she wasn't there," he recalls.
However, with a strong determination to make it back home alone, he discreetly left the bar through the back exit and drove off. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the police during the extremely brief journey to his house.
The police officer examined my driver's license and asked if I was the person in that music band. I replied affirmatively. 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 any tickets or penalties. I was astonished and relieved that I had narrowly escaped a potential problem.
However, the incident served as a reminder for Kelley that he needed to inform his spouse about what had transpired.
The singer expresses his exhaustion and frustration after being pulled over, feeling like he had nearly jeopardized his life and caused unnecessary chaos for the band. He acknowledges that it would have resulted in negative publicity, which would have been terrible.
He made a promise to himself to never drink alcohol again and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually, he fell back into his old habits of drinking. It took another year before he finally decided to seek help and fully dedicated himself to a life of sobriety.
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 about the postponement of their 2022 Request Line Tour, as they prioritized safeguarding Kelley's newfound sobriety. The decision to be honest about this matter was made by Kelley himself, while his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood proposed creating alternative reasons for the band's absence from the tour.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame in being honest about her experience, stating that it was the most difficult thing she had ever done. Instead of taking the easy way out by continuing to drink and destroying everything, she chose to be grateful for the situation. This mindset shift marked a turning point for her, leading her to decide to share her story. As a result, her decision to share has had a positive and beneficial impact.
Here is a list of 18 country artists who have chosen to live a sober lifestyle. These artists have made the decision to abstain from alcohol and drugs in order to
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