LIMBAUGH ENTERS REHAB FOR ADDICTION

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 said

Rush 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.