Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his path to sobriety. However, there is one particular event that he had never discussed directly until recently. He revealed that there was a time when he came close to receiving 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 consume "four or five drinks" while playing golf in a single day, and then he would drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that they were driving while under the influence of alcohol. The journey back home lasted only 10 minutes, but there were instances where Kelley realized the extreme stupidity and danger of their actions. The following day, they reflected on the situation and realized the potential consequences of their reckless behavior, acknowledging that they could have caused harm to someone else or even lost their own life.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close encounter with being charged with driving under the influence. It happened 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 responsibilities towards his family. He spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar, and as the night came to a close, other people at the bar began expressing worries about whether Kelley intended to drive back home.
"I thought to myself, if I don't go back and drive my car, my wife will ask me where it is. Even though I could have picked it up the next morning without her knowing, she wasn't there," he explains.
However, with a strong resolve to make his way back home alone, he discreetly left through the rear exit of the bar and departed in his vehicle. Unfortunately, he was stopped by law enforcement during the extremely brief journey to his house.
The police officer checked my driver's license and asked, "Are you the person from that band?" I replied, "Yes." Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to pull over and kindly drove me home. He didn't issue me a ticket or any other punishment. I was amazed and relieved that I had avoided any trouble.
However, the incident served as a realization for Kelley, prompting him to understand the importance of sharing with his wife the details of what had occurred.
The singer expresses how they felt overwhelmed and tired after a recent incident where they were pulled over. They believed that their actions could have potentially ruined their life and caused a lot of trouble for the band. The singer acknowledges that it would have resulted in negative media coverage, which they wanted to avoid.
He made a firm decision to stop consuming alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually relapsed and returned to his previous drinking habits. It took him another year to finally seek help and fully devote himself to achieving sobriety.
Following his time in rehab, Kelly didn't waste much time before sharing his struggle with alcohol with Lady A fans. The country trio was transparent with their loyal supporters, explaining that they postponed their 2022 Request Line Tour in order to prioritize Kelley's early stages of sobriety. This decision to be honest was made by Kelley himself. On the other hand, his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood proposed offering alternative reasons for the band's tour delay.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame in admitting that what she was about to do 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 honest and face her challenges. Kelley stated that she was grateful for this experience, which marked a turning point for her. She realized that she was now ready to share her story, and since then, it has gained positive momentum.
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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