LIMBAUGH NEEDS OUR LOVE AND SUPPORT

To the Editor:

To say that I was disappointed in your Oct. 15 editorial, ''Real talk on
drug treatment'' would be an understatement. I was at first delighted to
find an article which I thought would address the problems of drug
addiction and the need for medical treatment.

While you did address this need, you also couldn't resist the opportunity
to criticize someone with whom you clearly don't agree. In my mind it
diminished the impact of your message.

I went through rehab about 25 years ago. It was hard. While it changed my
life, it was not something which I could easily discuss, as you seem to
want Rush Limbaugh to do, until some time had passed. Hopefully, he will be
able to share his experience when he is able.

Additionally, when he claimed he did not want to be viewed as a victim or a
role model, I never got the impression he was denigrating or discrediting,
as your editorial claimed, those celebrities who had traveled this
difficult road to recovery.

I felt he was crediting those individuals, like myself, who quietly go
through the process of rebuilding their lives without the whole world
cheering them on. He was calling us the role models.

I am grateful to those people in my life, the very people who could have
justifiably turned their backs on me, who chose instead to love me and
support me. I intend to do the same for Rush Limbaugh.

Karen Helgesen

Brentwood 37027