HOW RUSH CAN BE A MODEL ADDICT

On Monday, Rush Limbaugh returned to his syndicated radio show, still
feisty and unrepentant. Showing extraordinary compassion for his human
frailty, most of Mr. Limbaugh's fans remain loyal.

Over the past five weeks, two polls showed that "more than 90 percent"
of his 20 million "dittoheads" have "no diminished regard" because of
his "drug dependency." His stations and advertisers, without
exception, have held fast.

Mr. Limbaugh can consider himself blessed to have so many people
continuing to trust in him and to invest in his talent. Those of us
who have encountered addiction among family members and other loved
ones do not disparage his good fortune. We only wish that it could be
spread around to other addicts -- or drug dependents -- who
desperately need salvaging.

You will recall that Mr. Limbaugh acknowledged his involvement in this
typically American tale of woe on Oct. 10, when he announced on the
air that he was leaving immediately after the program to go into
rehab. He further explained that he had become hooked on prescription
painkillers after experiencing recurring, intense back pain.

Some insist that his decision to go public was motivated more by
recent negative press reports than by moral scruples. His maid had
told The National Enquirer that she sold him thousands of black-market
pills -- Lorcet, hydrocodone and OxyContin ---- over a four-year
period. Allegedly, he took as many as 30 OxyContin pills a day. Thus,
any cynical conclusions drawn about his belated, unctuous admission of
drug abuse are understandable. Remember, the most popular conservative
radio voice in the nation declared in a 1995 interview, "The answer
(to drug use) is to find the ones who are getting away with it,
convict them and send them up the river."

Arizona's ultra-exclusive Sierra Tucson rehab center is believed to be
where Mr. Limbaugh sought treatment. The cost of the Sierra Tucson
experience depends upon the number of days required to complete a
prescribed treatment plan. The center's Web site states that the
average cost for a patient can range from $33,000 to $48,000, not
including "separately billed services/ancillary charges." Mr. Limbaugh
was in treatment for four weeks. Blessed indeed is the man who can
afford to pay for needed medical treatment of his disease.

With no charges filed against him, it would seem that the supposedly
detoxed radio host is back home-free in Palm Beach. Not so. Alas,
another problem has surfaced.

On Tuesday, ABC News reported that Mr. Limbaugh is being investigated
for illegally laundering money to buy the prescription drugs and could
be indicted for withdrawing cash in amounts just under $10,000 -- for
supposedly as many as 30 to 40 times. Intentionally structuring
financial transactions below that level to avoid bank reporting
requirements put in place to thwart drug traffickers is a federal crime.

A day later, Mr. Limbaugh vehemently denied this charge, conceding
only that "when I went to get cash, I took a check to the bank... and
they gave me the cash." For being able to withdraw his own money for
his own purposes, he can be said to be twice blessed. And how
fortunate he was not to have needed to mug anyone or rob any homes to
support his habit. Hypothetically, his only mistake -- yet to be
officially designated as a crime -- can be said to be illegal drug
trafficking.

If these observations seem a tad bitter, know that from my vantage
point in a drug-infested community, I view the 52-year-old Mr.
Limbaugh as a person not unlike the myriad young addicts in the
ghetto. They, too, turned to drugs to assuage their pain -- emotional
pain, adolescent angst, an overwhelming desire to escape the pressures
of life -- all of which challenge moral strength to endure. Once
addicted, for any reason, few can break the habit without treatment.
It is much more likely that, for the nonviolent crime of drug
addiction, far too many will be convicted and sent up the river -- as
Mr. Limbaugh advised.

Since acceptance of personal responsibility is his mantra, one hopes
that for personal, nonpartisan reasons, he will reconsider that advice
and advocate government-sponsored rehabilitative drug treatment for
addicts. Studies show that it costs the public two-thirds less than
putting the addict in prison. Would that Mr. Limbaugh and his
dittoheads could have more regard for that approach