Charles Kelley, a member of the band Lady A, has been open and honest with his fans about his personal struggle with alcoholism and his path to sobriety. However, there is one particular incident that he has never openly discussed until recently: the close call he had with getting a DUI when he was 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 have "four or five drinks" while playing golf, and then he would drive himself back home.
Kelley confesses that they were driving under the influence on their way home. Although the journey only took 10 minutes, there were instances where Kelley realized how reckless and hazardous their actions were. The following day, they reflected on the situation and recognized the immense potential for causing harm to others or even themselves.
On one specific occasion, Kelley had a close call with being charged with a DUI. It happened during the Christmas season, and he recalls that his wife Cassie and son Ward were away for a few days. This gave him the freedom to consume alcohol without any family responsibilities. Kelley spent a day playing golf and drinking at a nearby bar. As the night came to a close, other customers at the bar began to express worry about whether Kelley intended to drive home.
"I thought to myself, 'If I don't drive back, my wife will ask, 'Where's your car?'' Even though I could have picked it up the next morning and she wouldn't have known because she wasn't there," he explains.
However, with a strong resolve to make his way back home alone, he discreetly left the bar through the rear exit and embarked on his journey. Unfortunately, during the brief distance he covered while driving back to his residence, he was stopped by law enforcement.
The police officer inspected my driver's license and asked, "Are you the person from that band?" I confirmed, saying, "Yes." Instead of arresting me for driving under the influence, the officer instructed me to stop my car and kindly offered to drive me home. He didn't issue me a ticket or any penalties. I was surprised and relieved, thinking, "Wow, I narrowly avoided a major problem."
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 their feeling of being completely fed up and exhausted. 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 well aware that it would have resulted in negative publicity, which would have been really unfortunate.
He made a strong decision to stop consuming alcohol and struggled for three months by resisting the temptation. However, he eventually fell back into his previous habits of drinking. It took him another year to finally seek professional help and fully dedicate himself to a life of sobriety.
Following his time in rehabilitation, it didn't take much time for Kelly to reveal to Lady A fans about his struggle with alcohol. The country trio was transparent with their fanbase, explaining that the decision to postpone their 2022 Request Line Tour was primarily to support Kelley's early stages of sobriety. Kelley made the choice to be honest about this matter, while his bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, initially proposed using alternative reasons for the tour delay.
Kelley expressed that she had no shame or regret about her actions and acknowledged that what she was going through was extremely challenging. She could have chosen to continue drinking and let everything fall apart, but instead, she chose to face her problems head-on. Kelley mentioned that she felt grateful for this experience, and that moment marked a shift in her mindset towards sharing her story. As a result, things have been progressing in a very positive and beneficial direction.
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