RUSH: I'M ADDICTED

Conservative radio talk show king Rush Limbaugh admitted Friday to
being addicted to prescription painkillers and told his listeners he
is taking a month-long leave of absence to receive treatment.

"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," Limbaugh said on his
show.

Broadcast in the Atlanta area noon to 3 p.m. weekdays on WGST-AM,
Limbaugh has thrived for more than a decade as the most influential
talk show host in radio, a right-leaning political icon with an
estimated 20 million listeners a week. His success has spawned a raft
of other successful conservative talkers, from Glenn Beck to Sean Hannity.

While Limbaugh is on leave, he said, syndicator Premiere Radio
Networks will use guest hosts to fill in.

Reports of Limbaugh's drug abuse surfaced at the same time he resigned
from ESPN after making racially charged comments on a pregame football
television show.

Michael Harrison, editor of trade publication Talkers Magazine, said
he doesn't believe Limbaugh will be hurt in any way in the eyes of his
fans.

"It makes him a more effective, more compelling personality," Harrison
suggested. "The biggest problem Rush has is getting clean. He doesn't
have to worry about his radio career. The only thing that could hurt
Rush is to be boring."

Forbes magazine earlier this year estimated Limbaugh's annual pay at
$32 million. Limbaugh, 52, did not specify what painkillers he was
taking. But the National Enquirer tabloid reported last week that a
maid on his Palm Beach County estate told law enforcement officers she
supplied him with thousands of pills. They included addictive
painkillers such as hydrocodone, Lorcet and OxyContin. People magazine
and other publications reported they confirmed the account.

Wilma Cline, the housekeeper who sold her story to the Enquirer, said
Limbaugh took as many as 30 OxyContin pills a day and bullied her
frequently for more painkillers from 1998 to 2002.

"I first started taking prescription painkillers some years ago when
my doctor prescribed them to treat post-surgical pain following spinal
surgery," Limbaugh said on the air Friday to 650 radio affiliates.

"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."

Limbaugh said he had checked himself into detox facilities twice but
that didn't work.

"I am no role model," he said. "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."

Kim Peterson, a local WGST-AM host whose show follows Limbaugh from 3
to 7 p.m. weekdays, said he was caught off guard by the disclosures
but feels nothing but sympathy for him. "He's a quiet, unassuming
fellow," Peterson said. "It must have been difficult for Rush to admit
he's an addict. I'm glad he did it, though."

On the other hand, Mike Malloy --- a Decatur-based liberal syndicated
talk show host --- said he has no pity for Limbaugh given his tough
stance on drug users. "He's a hypocrite caught in a massive avalanche
of his own hubris," said Malloy, who was a WSB-AM host in the late
1980s and early '90s. Malloy's current show is not available in Atlanta.

According to People magazine's Oct. 20 issue, Cline suggested a link
between Limbaugh and pharmacist Louis Beshara, who along with his wife
Gloria is being investigated on suspicion of illegally selling
prescription narcotics out of his Palm Beach County pharmacy. But a
Palm Beach law enforcement officer told People that no link has been
established with Limbaugh.

Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the Palm Beach County state attorney's
office, said Friday his office could neither confirm nor deny an
investigation was under way. Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, did not
respond to a message seeking comment.

"At the present time, the authorities are conducting an
investigation," Limbaugh said on the radio, "and I have been asked to
limit my public comments until the investigation is complete."

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

OXYCONTIN QUALITIES
OxyContin is a legal, time-release pain medication that comes in tablet form.
It is used to control various types of pain. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
(DEA) reports
that more than 400 deaths have been linked to the painkiller OxyContin.

When misused it can produce a heroinlike high. The tablets can be chewed,
crushed and then
snorted, or dissolved and injected.

Individuals who take the drug repeatedly can develop a tolerance or resistance
to the drug's
effects. Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, muscle and bone pain,
insomnia, diarrhea,
vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and involuntary leg movements.
Source: The Drug Enforcement Agency Web site; National Drug Intelligence
Center, Jan.
2001 information bulletin; University Health Center at the University of Georgia
web site.
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