Charles Kelley, member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his path to sobriety. However, he recently shared a previously undisclosed incident where he came 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 regular habit for him to consume "four or five drinks" while playing golf in a single day, and then proceed to drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that they were driving while under the influence of alcohol. The distance they had to cover was only 10 minutes, but there were instances where they realized the extreme stupidity and danger of their actions. The following day, Kelley reflects on the situation and acknowledges the potential consequences of their irresponsible behavior, realizing that they could have caused harm to someone else or even lost their own life.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with a DUI. It happened during the Christmas season when his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, giving Kelley 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 showing concern about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
He recalls the situation where he thought to himself, "If I don't drive back, my wife will ask me where my car is." Even though he could have retrieved it the following morning without her noticing since she wasn't present.
However, with a strong resolve to make his way home alone, he discreetly left the bar through the rear exit and started driving. Within a very brief distance to his residence, he was stopped by the police.
The police officer examined my driver's license and asked, "Are you the person in that band?" I replied, "Yes." Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to park my car and kindly 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 occurrence served as a sudden realization for Kelley, prompting him to understand that he needed to inform his spouse about the incident.
The singer expressed their feeling of being completely drained and fed up, saying that they had reached a point where they felt like giving up. They had just been stopped by the police, and they realized that the situation could have had severe consequences and caused a lot of trouble for the band. The singer acknowledged that it would have resulted in negative media attention, which they wanted to avoid.
He made a firm decision to stop drinking alcohol and struggled for three months without giving in. However, he eventually fell back into his old habits of drinking. It took him another year to finally seek help and fully dedicate himself to a sober lifestyle by going to rehab.
Following his time in rehabilitation, it didn't take much time 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 due to the need to prioritize Kelley's early stages of sobriety. The decision to be honest about this matter was made by Kelley himself. In contrast, his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood proposed creating alternative explanations for why the band couldn't embark on the tour.
Kelley expressed that she was not ashamed of the difficult task she had undertaken and that it was the most challenging thing she had ever done. Instead of taking the easy way out and continuing to drink and destroy everything, she chose to face her struggles head-on. She acknowledged her gratitude for the situation, which marked a turning point for her in deciding to share her experience. Since then, her decision to open up about her journey has gained momentum and has had a positive impact on her life.
Here are 18 country artists who have chosen to live a sober lifestyle. Additionally, we've compiled a list of 11 fantastic country songs that revolve around the theme
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