Charles Kelley, a 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 event that he had not previously discussed, until now. Kelley has revealed that there was a time when he was driving under the influence and came very close to receiving a DUI.
During an interview on Elizabeth Vargas' Heart of the Matter podcast, Kelley confesses that when he consumed alcohol, it became a regular thing 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. Although the journey only lasted for 10 minutes, there were instances where she realized the extreme foolishness and danger of her actions. The following day, she came to the realization that her reckless behavior could have resulted in causing harm to others or even her own life.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with a DUI charge. It occurred during the Christmas season when his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, giving him the freedom to consume alcohol without any familial responsibilities. Kelley spent a day enjoying a round of golf and drinking at a nearby bar. As the night came to a close, fellow customers at the bar began to worry about whether or not Kelley intended to drive home.
He recalls saying, "I thought to myself, if I don't drive back, my wife will question me about the whereabouts of my car." Even though I could have retrieved it the following morning, she wouldn't have been aware of it since she wasn't present.
However, with a strong determination to make his way back home alone, he managed to discreetly leave the bar through the back exit and began driving. Unfortunately, during the extremely brief journey to his house, he was stopped by law enforcement.
The police officer examined my identification and asked, "Are you the person from that band?" I replied affirmatively. Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to pull my vehicle to the side of the road and personally drove me home. No citations or penalties were issued. I was amazed and relieved by the fortunate outcome.
However, the incident served as a reminder for Kelley that he needed to inform his spouse about what had transpired.
The singer expresses that they felt completely exhausted and ready to give up. They had just been pulled over and realized that their actions could have potentially ruined their life and caused a lot of trouble for the band. They were aware that it would have resulted in negative publicity, which would have been terrible.
He made a firm decision to stop drinking alcohol and struggled to stay away from it for three months, but eventually relapsed and returned to his previous habits of drinking. It took him another year before he finally sought professional help and fully dedicated himself to a sober lifestyle.
Following his time in rehab, it didn't take Kelly much time to inform Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country group was transparent with their fanbase, 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. His bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, had proposed offering alternative reasons for the band's tour delay.
In her statement, Kelley expressed that she had no shame in admitting that what she had done was the most difficult thing she had ever faced. She acknowledged that taking the easy way out would have been to continue drinking and destroy everything in her life. However, she chose to be grateful for her situation, which marked a turning point for her. As a result, she decided to share her experience, and it has since gained momentum in a positive and beneficial manner.
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