RUSH LIMBAUGH ADMITS PAINKILLER ADDICTION

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh
announced during his radio show 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.''

``You know I have always tried to be honest with you and open about my
life,'' Limbaugh 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.

Attempts to reach Limbaugh by phone, e-mail, fax and at his Florida home
were unsuccessful Friday.

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.

Law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to
The Associated Press that Limbaugh was being investigated by the Palm Beach
County, Fla., 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.

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

Limbaugh said he started taking painkillers ``some years ago'' after a
doctor prescribed them following a spinal surgery. His back pain stemming
from the surgery 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.''

A spokesman for Premiere Radio Networks, which syndicates the politically
focused ``Rush Limbaugh Show'' to more than 650 markets, declined to
elaborate on Limbaugh's previous treatment.

OxyContin is a narcotic painkiller that is widely prescribed for victims of
moderate to severe chronic pain resulting from such problems as arthritis,
back trouble and cancer.

Limbaugh reported two years ago that he had lost most of his hearing
because of an autoimmune inner-ear disease. He had surgery to have an
electronic device placed in his skull to restore his hearing.

Research has found that abuse of opiate-based painkillers like OxyContin
can lead to profound hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear, said
Dr. Gail Ishiyama, an assistant professor at the UCLA department of
neurology. She could not confirm that was Limbaugh's case without access to
his medical history.

Steve Plamann, executive editor of The National Enquirer, said he was
gratified by Limbaugh's admission and his plans to seek help.

``We didn't do our stories gleefully. We just reported the facts,'' Plamann
said.

However, Limbaugh said that reports about his addiction have inaccuracies
and distortions which he will clarify when he is able to speak about them.

Premiere spokesman Michael Sitrick said Limbaugh is expected to return to
his program after completing treatment. Several guest hosts were scheduled
until then.