Country starCharles Kelleyis sharing the ways in which hisstruggles with alcohol abusenearly cost him his marriage.
TheLady Amusician, 41, and his wife Cassie opened up about Kelley’s sobriety journey onCBS Mornings, and the couple revealed that a difficult trip to Greece marked the turning point for his alcoholism.
Kelley explained that while on vacation, he and Cassie got into an argument, and he wound up turning to the bottle.
“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,” he said. “We had got[ten] in an argument, and I had one of those moments where I just was like, ‘I’m so sick of being told what to do.'”
The star said that he awoke the next morning at 7 a.m. and called his wife, who had not slept after Kelley “disappeared.”
Charles and Cassie Kelley.Sara Kauss/FilmMagic
The aftermath of the night was eventually what led Kelley to a month-long stay in a rehab facility, as Cassie — with whom Kelley shares 7-year-old son Ward — said she had plans to meet with a divorce lawyer. It remains unclear when the vacation took place, but Cassieposted a picture of the couple in Mykonos to Instagramlast June.
“The next morning I said, ‘You need help. You have to deal with this,'” she said onCBS Mornings. “And he said he knew, and he made a plan with his manager and he flew directly from Greece to treatment. But at that point I fully thought I was flying back to the U.S. I was gonna meet with a divorce attorney, like, that was it.”
Kelley and Lady Aannounced in Augustthat Kelley had “embarked on a journey to sobriety,” and the group subsequently postponed a number of tour dates.
In the months since, he has chronicled his journey both on social media and in thelyrics of the song"As Far as You Could," which he released in November. Cassie has also expressed her support for Kelley on social media.
RELATED VIDEO: Lady A Postpones Tour as Charles Kelley Embarks on a ‘Journey to Sobriety’
She explained toCBS Morningsthat alcoholism is a “family disease,” and that she’s had to put in just as much work as Kelley has during his recovery.
“When he was in rehab and I went out there for family week, one of the first messages you receive is, ‘You’re gonna have to do just as much work here.’ And I remember being so mad,” she said. “Like, you did this. And now I have to do all of this work too? But… it affects every person in that family system. So I could’ve chosen not to do the work, but then I have to live with the way that I’ve been affected and unhealed. So whether Charles and I were in a marriage or not, whether I saw him again for the rest of my life, I still had to deal with what I had gone through.”
She later grew emotional as she told King that she was “really proud” of Kelley, who held his wife’s hand and said he was proud of her, too (he also added that he “can’t really say I’m sorry enough” to both Cassie and his bandmatesHillary ScottandDave Haywood).
“It’s not easy to walk through and it’s not easy to stay connected and just put your head down and do the work, ‘cause it is a lot of work,” Cassie said. “And because he keeps showing up every day, I get to keep showing up every day and our family gets to be intact, so I’m really, really proud of him.”
The pair then shared a kiss as Kelley said he “couldn’t do it without her support.”
The musiciancelebrated six months of sobrietyin January, and at the time, Cassie celebrated with an Instagram Video in which she said she was thrilled Kelley had gotten over the “big hurdle” of recovery that is being able to enjoy a vacation without alcohol. They rang in the new year on Harbour Island in the Bahamas.
“Mission accomplished. We had such a great time,” she said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
