Lady A’s Charles Kelley Recalls What Led Him to Seek Treatment for Alcohol Abuse

Charles Kelley is sharing new details about what led him to confront his alcohol abuse in rehab.

While appearing on CBS Mornings Wednesday, the Lady A singer recalled a vacation to Greece with his wife Cassie Kelley that changed his perspective on getting help. 

“We got into an argument,” Charles, 41, shared with host Gayle King, “and I just turned my phone off in the middle of nowhere and just took off and stayed up drinking with all these random people I didn’t know and woke up.”

When he turned his phone back on, Charles said he realized eight friends were looking for him all night. For Cassie, who couldn’t sleep the entire evening, it was a turning point in their relationship.

“The next morning, I said, ‘You need help. You have to deal with this,’ and he said he knew,” Cassie shared. “He made a plan with his manager, and he flew directly from Greece to treatment.”

Charles, who is dad to 7-year-old son Ward, went to a rehab facility for a month where he learned there are degrees of alcoholics.  

“Just because you’re not living on the street or waking up in the bush, it can get there, and it can get there really easily,” he said. “Cassie would tell me some stories about little things Ward would say that I didn’t even know he was noticing. ‘Daddy's talking a little funny. Y’all argue a lot.’ That crushed me. He’s the most important thing in my life hands down.”

Today, Charles is grateful for the support of his family and bandmates including Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott. Lady A has kicked off a brand-new summer tour, where Charles has the opportunity to perform his new song, “As Far as You Could,” which he describes as a goodbye letter to alcohol.  

And while Charles acknowledged his behavior caused pain for those closest to him, he’s hoping his actions going forward show he’s a changed man.

“I can’t really say I’m sorry enough,” he said. “It’s going to take time to rebuild that.”