Limbaugh's Secret Life

We conservatives are all saddened by the news that Rush Limbaugh is being investigated by law enforcement authorities for illegal buys of prescription painkillers. If accounts being bandied about the media are accurate, then Limbaugh: a) has procured tremendous amounts of highly addictive narcotic medications from his pill-pushing housekeeper Wilma Cline, and, b) is likely to be subjected to arrest. Oh, by the way, dear Wilma sold her hot celebrity story to The National Enquirer for about four hundred thousand dollars. Am I surprised by the overall situation? Yes and no.

Given Limbaugh's outstanding analytical mind and sharp wit, it's difficult to believe that he's constantly in a drug induced state. Who is more articulate and funny than Limbaugh in the world of political commentary? Nobody. However, the hard truth is this: Among entertainers, media personalities and politicos, substance abuse exists in epidemic proportions. For that reason, many conservatives have quickly moved beyond denial and are prepared to hear the worst of it. And I think the majority of conservatives will continue to be compassionate and supportive toward El Rushbo as long as he embraces rehabilitative efforts.

Limbaugh is clearly the most influential conservative of our era, with a radio audience of up to thirty million listeners each week. He's probably converted more Americans to the conservative persuasion than any individual except Ronald Reagan. Understandably, Limbaugh's myriad political foes rejoice in his current troubles. Al Franken and the radical Left are ecstatic. If the tabloid piece largely pans out, Limbaugh has provided his enemies with significant ammunition in efforts to discredit and silence him. But will those hostile to Limbaugh ultimately succeed in ruining him? I doubt it. His current woes are definitely a setback, but not insurmountable. I would state one pivotal caveat. The only individual who can really bring down Limbaugh is Limbaugh himself. Conservatives will maintain solidarity with Limbaugh if, and only if, he dedicates himself to being clean and sober. However, if Limbaugh continues to dabble in drugs, his legion of fans and listeners will slowly drift away.

Although most people are focused upon Limbaugh's legal circumstances, much more is at stake. Drug addiction is a life-threatening condition, which requires proper intervention. Reports indicate that Limbaugh had been rapidly detoxed twice, but returned to drugs both times. Of course he has to undergo another detoxification, and not of the dubious "ultra-rapid" variety that is completed in 24 hours. But what about follow-up care? I'm referring to a program of drug treatment to prevent relapse. Importantly, with relapse there's always the specter of overdose and further physical deterioration. And Limbaugh will have to fight his addictive inclinations for the rest of his life - that is the nature of the beast. It's encouraging to note that many radio and television personalities, such as Don Imus and Larry Kudlow, are succeeding in their day-by-day recovery efforts.

The drugs taken by Limbaugh - OxyContin, Lorcet and Hydrocone - are terribly dangerous by all accounts. Never mind that they cause a host of emotional side effects including paranoia and mood swings. Now, it's coming to light that at least two of these powerful painkillers are linked to sudden hearing loss. In other words, it's conceivable that Limbaugh's deafness was caused by his own addictive behaviors. If that turns out to be the case, it's not only tragic but speaks to the incredible grip of dependency created by these drugs. On some level Rush Limbaugh, like all substance abusers, has self-destructive tendencies. That's his private business, and his responsibility to explore through counseling. For addicts, arrest is often a good thing since the Court system forces them into essential treatment. Roy Black is a very adept criminal attorney who understands these issues. If Limbaugh is charged with a crime, certainly mandatory drug rehabilitation would be part of the plea bargain. I doubt that Limbaugh would be made to serve any jail time.

As to The National Enquirer article, I read it. And I found it to be credible, rife with details that demonstrate the severity of Limbaugh's substance abuse problem. Limbaugh had at least one other drug supplier besides Wilma Cline, referred to as his "FedEx" connection. Apparently OxyContin is Limbaugh's drug of choice. And law enforcement authorities are in possession of a couple of tapes, and a bunch of emails, that substantiate the claims made by Wilma Cline and her husband regarding Limbaugh. The Cline couple cut themselves a very nice deal with the people at The National Enquirer that are experts at marketing

I have read all the comments on this thread and I understand the different viewpoints (be nice, this is my first post!) Most of them reflect an ignorance of Rush's malady. He suffers from an atypical autoimmune disease. He probably had it several years before it manifested itself by attacking the nerves affecting his hearing.

Surprisingly little is known,much less understood about autoimmune diseases or rather,syndromes even in the medical communities. One reason is they often begin with vague symptoms, very much like the flu(body aches,fever,etc.), that come and go periodically. Then it worsens and though the person knows something is wrong, doctors can find nothing from numerous tests. In the medical community,if it doesn't show up on tests it doesn't exist except in one's head. Meanwhile the disease in which the body's immune defences are attacking not only pathogens but its own tissue,organs and/or nerves is going full speed ahead.

Yes, there are some tests that do confirm certain syndromes but they are few and unreliable. More concerning is the lack of effective medications to fight autoimmune syndroms. Extreme pain in joints and muscles almost always accompanies it. Doctors usually start a patient on various nsaids. Sometimes that is enough but often,not. And that is where opioids come in. If the pain(think: your body is attacking itself) becomes too great to continue a normal everyday life judicial use of opioids(hydrocodone,oxy contin,etc) can be a life saver.

Now, back to Rush. Regular listeners to his show might remember back when he told us of his hearing loss that he had known something was wrong even before deafness set in. He said,and I shall never forget, to listen to your body and follow your instincts even when doctors can find nothing wrong. His doctors couldn't find anything and would have just treated his symptoms(pain killers?) if the disease had not attacked his hearing so dramatically. That's when,if I'm not mistaken, they began large doses of corticosteroids but even then had no effect on his hearing loss.

Corticosteroids and hydrcodone for that matter, DO NOT make you slim(I wish). Just the opposite. You get a nice round, fat face and belly. Think Neil Cavuto(sp?). He also has an autoimmune disease,M.S. I get miffed at the people who talk of his large head when it is obvious he's on meds.to keep his malady under control. And don't you remember the times Rush wouldn't turn on his dittocam because he didn't want the audience to see his bloated face? That's the effects of large doses of steroids.

And as to his many absences from his show I'll bet dollars to doughnuts he was having pulse treatments which are usually done in a hospital or special clinic. Pulse treatments are large intravenous steroid infusions ment to control serious autoimmune disorders. Some drug re-hab!not. They are seriously not pleasant and can take a few days to get over.

Pain killers? When one has this disease any kind of trauma i.e. surgery(cochlear implants?) can set up a flare-up impossible to cope with except with high powered pain killers for a certain length of time. Again, I would bet this is/was the case.

How do I surmise all this? I,too, have an atypical lupus syndrome and all this has happened to me. I took hydrocodone four times a day for almost a year just to live a somewhat normal life. The pain was debilitating but the drug was not. I didn't get woosy or spaced out. Those who REALLY need it rarely do. When the massive doses of steroids took affect I no longer needed the hydro. so I just stopped. No withdrawals ,no cravings, nothing.

I don't know if Rush is guilty(I tend to doubt it) but please, don't be so quick to judge. I smell a set up. And I sure am glad I'm not going through this terrible disease in the public eye. I think Rush is amazing to keep doing what he does every day with this monster of a malady.

"The drugs taken by Limbaugh..."

Okay, I've been out of touch with my computer being in the shop lately, but I have not heard anywhere that Rush ever took any of these drugs. My understanding was that this is all still just alleged, but everyone seems to be talking about it as if it's a foregone conclusion that he used them. Has Rush said anything regarding this, or has it been proven in some other way that he has ever even used them? I'm not saying it's not possible, but it just seems to me that because some low-level dealer (the ex-maid) sold a story to the Enquirer, and made an immunity deal for herself, that everyone is just opperating on the premise that Rush was using these drugs.

Have I missed some actual facts here (which is entirely possible), or is this just typical smear tactics?? A little FReeper help to get me back up to speed would be appreciated.

If the charges against Rush are substantially true, there will be No Joy in Mudville...LOL!!

I agree, it will be a disappointment. But my statements about Rush had nothing to do with wishing a scandal on Rush. I was simply saying that if any of the drug allegations against Rush prove true, Destructor will be eating crow, so maybe he shouldn't be making such an arse of himself by protesting Rush's absolute innocence and calling names at those who see some reason to believe the veracity of the allegations.

Personally, after looking at all the circumstances and reading the allegations, it's difficult for me to believe that there's not some grain of truth to it.

Long term abuse of the pain killer Vicodin (hydrocodone) has been linked to sudden and profound hearing loss. And although Rush claimed his hearing loss was due to an autoimmune disorder, the House Institute where he was being treated issued a contemporaneous press release that stated Rush's symptoms weren't typical of an autoimmune disorder.

I think there's something to that.

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