Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his personal journey towards sobriety. However, there is one particular incident that he had never directly addressed until recently. He revealed that he had a close call with getting a DUI when he was driving under the influence.
In an interview with Elizabeth Vargas on her podcast, "Heart of the Matter," Kelley confesses that when he was drinking, it became a regular thing 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 she was driving under the influence while heading home. Despite it being a short 10-minute drive, there were instances where she realized the extreme foolishness and perilous nature of her actions. The following day, she was struck by the realization that she could have caused harm to someone else or even lost her own life.
On one specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with a DUI charge. It occurred during the Christmas season, and he recalls that his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a couple of days. This meant that Kelley had the freedom to drink as much as he pleased without any responsibilities towards his family. He spent the day playing golf and consuming alcohol at a nearby bar. Towards the end of the evening, fellow customers began expressing worry about whether or not Kelley intended to drive home.
The person in question recalls a situation where they had to make a decision about driving back home. They were concerned that if they didn't, their spouse would question the whereabouts of their car. However, they could have easily retrieved the car the following morning without their spouse even knowing, as they were not present at the time.
However, with a strong determination to return home by himself, he managed to secretly leave through the rear exit of the bar and commenced his journey. Unfortunately, during the extremely brief distance he covered towards his house, he was stopped by law enforcement.
The police officer glanced at 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 park my car and offered me a ride home. Surprisingly, he didn't issue me a ticket or any punishment. I was amazed and relieved that I had narrowly escaped a potentially serious situation.
However, the occurrence served as a sudden realization for Kelley, prompting him to understand the importance of informing his wife about what had transpired.
The singer expressed feeling completely drained and fed up, saying that they had reached a breaking point. They had recently been pulled over by the police, and it had been an incredibly close call that could have completely destroyed their life. The incident had also caused a lot of trouble and disturbance within the band. The singer acknowledged that if the news of this incident had gotten out, it would have been extremely negative and damaging for their public image.
He made a promise to himself that he would no longer consume alcohol and managed to abstain for three months through sheer willpower. However, he eventually succumbed to his previous habits of drinking. It took another year for him to finally seek professional help and fully dedicate himself to a life of sobriety
Following his rehabilitation, it didn't take much time for Kelly to share with Lady A fans his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their followers, explaining that the postponement of their 2022 Request Line Tour was primarily to safeguard Kelley's early stage of sobriety. This decision to be forthcoming was made by Kelley himself, while his bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood had proposed using alternative reasons for not going on tour.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame in admitting that what she was about to do was extremely challenging. She acknowledged that taking the easy way out would have been to continue drinking and destroy everything. However, she chose to be grateful for the situation and this mindset became the turning point for her decision to share it. As a result, the situation has gradually gained momentum in a positive and beneficial manner.
Here are 18 country artists who have embraced a sober lifestyle and are no longer consuming alcohol or drugs. Additionally, we have compiled a list of 11 great country songs
Additional content from Taste of Country can be found here. Details and updates can be