Report: Rush Tooks As Many As 30 Pills a Day

NewsMax ^ | Monday, Oct. 13, 2003 | PRNewswire

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Dr. Drew said on Greta last night that he had a 23 year old patient who took 100 vicodin a day and it didn't kill him because he had built up a tolerance.

[umgud]

30 pills a day?

I thought the initial news accounts stated he was taking thousands of pills per day.

[Jorge]

According to Cline, Limbaugh took as many as 30 OxyContin pills a day.

I find this hard to believe.
His liver would be destroyed by now if he was taking that many pain killers.

[Cate]

What amazes me is that even drug impaired he is still incredibly smart and inciteful. Just think what he'll be like in 30 days. Good luck Rush.

[Kay Soze]

"This cashing in may have been in providing the drugs, the wire, or surveillance. I'm thinking entrapment."

I am in agreement with you.

[Tall_Texan]

Sorry, I'd trust the Enquirer before I'd trust Newsleak.

[Guillermo]

A wife of a friend fo mine would take 5 just to get out of bed in the morning.

30 is not outside the realm of possibility.

[Guillermo]

I've never heard him comment either way on "medical" marijuana.

He usually sticks to front page news, odd news, or media news.

[mlmr]

30 Oxys a day would kill an elephant, especially a Republican elephant

Nonsence, I regularly detox people talking twice that amount. tolerence is a fact of life.

[Petronski]

I'm sorry that so many people equate addiction to recreational drugs like cocaine or heroin with an addiction that began on a prescription following twin failed back surgeries. And yes, I understand full well that heroin is closely related (identical?) to the drugs abused by Limbaugh. I used to date a pharmacist and if I remember quickly, she referred to Oxycontin as 'time-released heroin.'

The point is, Limbaugh's current story is that he had significant, debilitating back pain, and when surgery failed, he decided to treat with pain killers--specifically, a class of painkillers to which an addiction is not readily apparent until it is time to stop taking them.

All of this is quite different from someone trying to fill a void in his life by toying with cocaine or street heroin or pot or booze.

If the current account of events is true, I wish him well and expect him to recover fully. If the story changes, I can't predict how I would react.

And one more thing: through all of this, he never ceased to provide the Excellence in Broadcasting his network promised. That's the amazing part.

[IncPen]

Just curious. It appears that the woman (maybe through her husband, a convicted drug dealer) was the pusher. Rush was the user. I have heard of the police squeezing users to give up their dealer, but I have never heard of a dealer being squeezed to give up a user. Of course, Rush would be a quite a trophy for any prosecutor. Much more than a couple of unknowns.

I have no knowledge of the case, but reading between the lines, I think it's possible that she was getting the pills with from LEOs, and some of them ginned up the wire and then the Enquirer story.

The MO of the Enquirer is to blow half their wad in the first story, let the accused bluster on and on, then let loose the 3nd part of the story.

Rush wisely clammed up, and if he hadn't taken the 30 days for rehab the story might have died with a fizzle of a part two.

Another thing not mentioned is that his 30 day leave will overlap half of the November sweeps period.

If I were a program director in a mid-sized market, this would be of some concern to me as I am looking to set my ad rates based on Rush's listenership.

This matter alone (the drugs) would be a stress on the ratings in any case (especially in blue-belt markets). But couple it with his ESPN troubles and an untimely absence and the PDs in those markets might be able to squeeze the syndicator for some tradebacks**.

The only alleviating factor that I see in this is that Limbaugh will be returning mid-sweep and is certainly guaranteed enormous ratings for the foreseeable future on his return. That alone might mollify the stations.

_{**Depending on his syndication agreement, Limbaugh 'owns' most of the commercial breaks. That it, local stations have to let Limbaugh's 'national' commercials play through. They make money selling a few local spots each hour. If Limbaugh wants to appease them, he can cut (or share) his playthrough $$ with them, or he can tradeback time to the local affiliates. I see this as a last resort for the stations; they don't want to p!ss Limbaugh off right now- he's by no means down OR out}

[mhking]

More piling on, and relyling on the Enquirer hit piece as gospel.

[IncPen]

Tator, just pinged for your 2 cents on the media angle...

[Republican Wildcat]

Fired twice (and briefly on the dole, a detail Limbaugh overlooks when he rants against welfare)

I don't know when I've ever heard Rush rant against someone who was briefly on welfare.

[Petronski]

His liver would be destroyed by now if he was taking that many pain killers.

It is quite possible that he was taking that many (owing to tolerance), and that in the long run, his liver is destroyed.

[Mr. Mojo]

Good post, and I agree with the whole of it.

[xJones]

I know, I know, LEOs are supposedly investigating Limbaugh, but it seems likely to me (especially since Drudge claims the story has been cold for over a year) that some LEOs were cashing in on this off the clock. This cashing in may have been in providing the drugs, the wire, or surveillance. I'm thinking entrapment.

That's very interesting. And the maid's "murkey motive" might then be that it was time to haul in the fish. Otherwise, why would a dealer turn herself in to the County state attorney and finger Rush?

Wilma Cline, 42, showed up at the Palm Beach County state attorney's office late last year eager to alert the cops to her boss's drug use. Her motive remained murky, but her story -- how she had met Limbaugh in parking lots to exchange sandwich bags filled with "baby blues" (OxyContin pills) for a cigar box stuffed with cash-was luridly damning, reports Thomas.

And this was late last year........

[CedarDave]

Yes he is. What's happening, man?

[dagnabbit]

You know you're a serious junkie when...

You dope yourself frickin deaf.