Lady A's Charles Kelley Opens Up About Staying Sober

Charles Kelley is serious about his road to recovery.

The 41-year-old colead singer for Lady A opened up in a new interview about what changes he is making in his life in order to stay sober.

“In almost every story, there’s a tinge of similarity. How you can justify it. How you hide your drinking. How you say, ‘Oh, I just had a couple on the golf course,’” he said.

Click inside to read more…

“Which really meant . . . six,” Charles told Men’s Health.

He has been participating in men’s recovery meetings for several months and this third attempt as sobriety is different because this time he says he is not trying to do it “on my own.”

“It’s amazing what not drinking will do. You save yourself, I’m ashamed to say, anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 calories a day in booze—you’re bound to lose some weight. But I look back at pictures from just three months ago. It’s my face, my midsection. I’ve found that it all goes hand in hand. When I’m not drinking, I feel better. So then I work out,” Charles said of the compounding effects of his sobriety.

Charles is married to Cassie McConnell and they have a six-year-old son, Ward.

Last August, Charles thanked his fans after Lady A postponed their tour. When they resume touring, Charles said their tour will be dry, which he previously found a strange practice when looking at other artists.

“They’ve been doing this thing for 15, 20 years and are in the same spot that I’m in right now,” Charles realized. “What do you want out of this life? Do you want to wreck your family and your career? Or do you want to put some things into place to keep it successful?”