Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his process of becoming sober. However, there is one particular incident that he has never discussed openly until recently. He has revealed that there was a time when he almost received a DUI for driving under the influence.
In an interview on Elizabeth Vargas' podcast, Kelley confesses that when he used to consume alcohol, it became a regular thing 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 on her way home. The duration of the drive was only 10 minutes, but 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 herself.
On a specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with a DUI charge. This incident took place during the Christmas season, and Kelley recalls that his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days, giving him the opportunity to drink without any familial responsibilities. He spent the day playing golf and consuming alcoholic beverages at a nearby bar. Towards the end of the evening, fellow bar-goers began expressing worry about Kelley's intentions of driving home.
"I thought to myself, if I don't drive back, my wife will ask me where my car is," he recalls. "Even though I could have retrieved it the following morning, she wouldn't have been aware since she wasn't there."
However, with a strong resolve to return home alone, he discreetly exited through the rear of the establishment and departed in his vehicle. Within a brief distance on his way back to his residence, he was stopped by law enforcement.
The police officer checked my driver's license and asked if I was the person from that band. I confirmed that I was. Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to park my car and drove me home. He didn't issue me a ticket or any penalties. I was surprised and relieved that I escaped a potential problem.
However, the incident served as a reminder for Kelley that he needed to inform his spouse about what had occurred.
The singer expresses their feelings of frustration and exhaustion after a recent incident where they were pulled over. They believed that their actions could have potentially caused significant harm to their life and created turmoil for the band. They acknowledge that it would have resulted in negative attention and publicity, which would have been detrimental.
He made a promise to quit drinking alcohol and struggled for three months to resist the temptation, but eventually fell back into his old habits of drinking. It took another year before he finally decided to seek professional help and fully dedicate himself to a life of sobriety.
Following his time in rehab, it didn't take Kelly much time to inform Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase, explaining that they postponed their 2022 Request Line Tour to ensure Kelley's newly found sobriety remained intact. It was Kelley's choice to be honest about the situation. Although his bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, proposed creating alternative explanations for the band's absence on tour.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame in admitting that what she was about to say 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. She mentioned feeling grateful for this experience, which became a turning point for her decision to share it. As a result, her decision to share has had a positive and beneficial impact.
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