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WEST PALM BEACH - Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh announced during his radio program Friday that he is addicted to painkillers and is checking into a rehab center to "break the hold this highly addictive medication has on me."
"I have always tried to be honest with you and open about my life," Limbaugh, who lives in Palm Beach County, said during a stunning admission aired nationwide. "So I need to tell you today that part of what you have heard and read is correct. I am addicted to prescription pain medication."
"Immediately following this broadcast, I am checking myself into a treatment center for the next 30 days to once and for all break the hold this highly addictive medication has on me," he added.
He did not identify the treatment center.
Limbaugh gave up his job as an ESPN sports analyst Oct. 1, three days after saying on the sports network's Sunday NFL Countdown that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.
The reports of possible drug abuse surfaced at about the same time, first in the National Enquirer. The tabloid had interviewed Wilma Cline, who said she became Limbaugh's drug connection after working as his maid. She said Limbaugh had abused OxyContin and other painkillers.
OxyContin, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, was prescribed more than 6-million times in 2001. Federal prosecutors say the powerful drug, intended only for severe amounts of pain, is widely abused.
About 9-million people abuse prescription drugs, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency.
Limbaugh reported two years ago that he had lost most of his hearing because of an autoimmune inner-ear disease. Medical experts say another painkiller, hydrocodone, which is sold under such brand names as Vicodin, has caused numerous cases of severe hearing loss, though there is no evidence that this caused Limbaugh's deafness. He had surgery to have an electronic device placed in his skull to restore his hearing.
State attorney spokesman Mike Edmondson said Friday his office could neither confirm nor deny that an investigation was under way. Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, did not return a phone message seeking comment. The Associated Press reported that law enforcement sources it did not identify confirmed there is an investigation by the Palm Beach County state attorney's office.
"At the present time, the authorities are conducting an investigation, and I have been asked to limit my public comments until this investigation is complete," Limbaugh said Friday.
Ed Shohat, the attorney for Cline and her husband, said the publication of the National Enquirer story may have saved Limbaugh's life.
"Sometimes the exercise of First Amendment rights does very positive things. This may be one of those times," Shohat said.
Steve Plamann, executive editor of the National Enquirer, said he was gratified that Limbaugh confirmed the Enquirer story and that he plans to seek help.
"We didn't do our stories gleefully. We just reported the facts," Plamann said. "I certainly hope he gets the help that he needs and gets over his addiction."
Limbaugh didn't cite the Enquirer, and said that news reports on the issue contained "inaccuracies and distortions."
Limbaugh said he started taking painkillers "some years ago" after a doctor prescribed them following a spinal surgery. His pain persisted, so Limbaugh said he started taking pills and became hooked.
"Over the past several years I have tried to break my dependence on pain pills and, in fact, twice checked myself into medical facilities in an attempt to do so. I have recently agreed with my physician about the next steps."
Premiere Radio Networks, which syndicates the politically focused Rush Limbaugh Show to more than 650 markets, expects Limbaugh to return to his program after completing treatment, spokesman Michael Sitrick said. Several guest hosts were scheduled until then.
Limbaugh's fans may remember the commentator's past remarks of intolerance toward drug addicts, but most will remain loyal and his ratings will stay high, said Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers, a trade magazine for talk radio and television.
"His audience will stick by him because his position on addictive drugs is just a small part of his life and the entertainment he provides," Harrison said. "Many people find him even more interesting because of this.
"If people think he'll lose his following because he suddenly appears to be a hypocrite, forget it. Part of what makes him successful is he's a lightning rod. I don't buy that he's some type of moral leader in this country. He's a man who's extremely colorful and darn good on the radio."
The move could also help him legally. Former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey said drug dealers - not drug users - are typically the target of prosecutors and the legal system is "geared toward giving an addict one chance to get clean."
"When someone has no prior criminal history, the system would almost never insist on jail time for a user who is seeking help for an addictive problem," Coffey said.
An addiction specialist said it is difficult to develop and maintain a solid recovery.
"When someone has developed a substantial pattern of addiction over time, the urge to restart that pattern is very, very powerful," said Dr. Kenneth Skodnek, a psychiatrist and director of Addiction Services at Nassau University Medical Center in New York.
Skodnek called Limbaugh's entry into rehab "a first step," adding that Limbaugh's celebrity may actually help in his recovery.
Celebrities "do get a lot more attention, so the implications of use versus abstinence are perhaps much greater than for others. They have further to fall in failure."
- Information from the Washington Post was used in this report.
What he saidRush Limbaugh told his radio audience Friday that he is addicted to painkillers and will enter rehab:
"I have always tried to be honest with you and open about my life. So I need to tell you today that part of what you have heard and read is correct. I am addicted to prescription pain medication.
"I first started taking prescription painkillers some years ago when my doctor prescribed them to treat postsurgical pain following spinal surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery was unsuccessful and I continued to have severe pain in my lower back and also in my neck due to herniated discs. I am still experiencing that pain. Rather than opt for additional surgery for these conditions, I chose to treat the pain with prescribed medication. This medication turned out to be highly addictive.
"Over the past several years I have tried to break my dependence on pain pills and, in fact, twice checked myself into medical facilities in an attempt to do so. I have recently agreed with my physician about the next steps.
"Immediately following this broadcast, I am checking myself into a treatment center for the next 30 days to once and for all break the hold this highly addictive medication has on me. . . .
"I am not making any excuses. Over the years athletes and celebrities have emerged from treatment centers to great fanfare and praise for conquering great demons.
"They are said to be great role models and examples for others. Well, I am no role model. I refuse to let anyone think I am doing something great here, when there are people you never hear about, who face long odds and never resort to such escapes.
"They are the role models. I am no victim and do not portray myself as such. I take full responsibility for my problem.
"At the present time, the authorities are conducting an investigation, and I have been asked to limit my public comments until this investigation is complete. So I will only say that the stories you have read and heard contain inaccuracies and distortions, which I will clear up when I am free to speak about them."