By India McCarty
Lady A’s Charles Kelley credits the people in his life — from family and friends to fans — for his “really fulfilling” sobriety journey.
“It’s amazing,” he told Parade of the support he has received while maintaining his sobriety. “I think what helps keep you sober is when you’ve got support and you feel like you’re passing along the help to someone else that needs it.”
Kelley revealed he was going to rehab in 2022 after Lady A postponed a tour so that he could take time off.
“Being on the road with our fans is our greatest joy, so it was a hard but important decision to make,” the band wrote in a statement. “We are a band, but more importantly…we’re family. We’re proud to say that Charles has embarked on a journey to sobriety.”
Now, Kelley’s work to get sober serves as an inspiration to others in the music industry who are looking to stop drinking.
“It was never some goal I set out to do when I went through this, but I think naturally I’ve had a lot of other artists reach out to me and ask for advice or different things,” he told Parade. “Everybody’s got their own journey.”
Kelley continued, “I don’t think this way of life is necessarily for everybody, but I think it’s one of those things that — know that you can get through it, and it’s not going to be some drudgery. It can actually be fantastic and really fulfilling.”
The Lady A star opened up about his decision to get sober in a 2024 episode of the Hulu docuseries IT’S ALL COUNTRY, pointing to the toll his drinking was taking on his marriage to Cassie McConnell Kelley.
Related: Lady A Postpones Tour to Aid Band Member Charles Kelley in Sobriety Journey
“[Lady A bandmates] Dave and Hillary were such good friends throughout this whole journey,” he said. “And thank God, I felt like I was given this second lease on my career and my marriage.”
Kelley called getting sober the “best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” adding that it was never his intention to “really share my story so much.”
“I just think it’s such a common occurrence and we all struggle with it,” he said of his decision to be open about his sobriety journey. “The stage of career I’m at and the stage of life I’m in, I wanna be able to give something back, too, in a positive way, even if it’s just a little bit of encouragement.”
Kelley’s story is an inspiration to others who might be pursuing sobriety, and Lady A fans are glad the artist is happy, healthy and back to making music.
Read Next: Lady A Lead Vocalist Calls Sobriety the ‘Best Decision’
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
- Content: +2Share:
- Content: +2