Charles Kelley says he came "close to losin' it all" before getting sober.
Lady A postponed its tour in August 2022 for Kelley to seek treatment for substance abuse.
On CBS Mornings, Kelley said his Lady A bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood were aware of his problem for years but that he dismissed their concerns.
"We would have shows where they're like, 'Hey man, you might have had a little too much to drink last night.' I was like, 'Okay, well, has it affected how hard I work? Has it affected the shows?'" Kelley recalled.
Kelley's issues with alcohol also affected his relationship with his wife, Cassie, and their son, Ward, now 7.The turning point for Kelley came after a family trip to Greece where he argued with Cassie and turned off his phone, drinking away the night with strangers. Cassie told him the next morning that he needed help and that she was planning to meet with a divorce attorney. Kelley then entered treatment.
"It just makes me feel so grateful at how close I came to losin' it all," the singer said. "And I think the thing that's hard is to know how much it affected Cassie the most, and my band, and the people around me. And how much it emotionally kinda wrecked them for a while. And that, I can't really say I'm sorry enough. And it's just gonna take time to rebuild that."
Kelley celebrated six months sober in January.
"Just wanted to wish you all a happy 2023. May this be the best year yet," he said on Instagram Stories. "My wife reminded me actually a couple days ago that I'd hit my six-month sobriety mark and woo hoo! Couldn't have done it without her, above all, [and] my bandmates. So much support."
