Kennedy to Seek Treatment for 'Chronic Disease of Addiction'
By: Administrative Account | Source: CNSNews.com
May 6, 2006 6:26AM EST

By Melanie Hunter
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
May 05, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), son of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), announced Friday that he will enter rehab for an addiction to prescription painkillers.

The congressman was cited for three traffic violations for crashing his car near Capitol Hill early Thursday morning. Kennedy said he "consumed no alcohol" before the crash, which occurred at about 2:47 a.m.

"I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions. That's not how I want to live my life, and it's not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island," Kennedy said at a press conference on announcing his decision to seek treatment. He said the crash "greatly" concerns him.

Capitol Police gave him a ride home without conducting a sobriety test, even though he appeared to be intoxicated, according to an Associated Press report quoting Louis Cannon, president of the Washington Chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.

The Rhode Island congressman said he received treatment at the Mayo Clinic last Christmas for addition to prescription painkillers during the House recess. "I returned to the House of Representatives and to Rhode Island reinvigorated and healthy," he said.

Kennedy blames the crash on medication he had taken Wednesday evening - Phenergan, an anti-nausea medication for gastroenteritis, and the sleep medication Ambien, which supposedly makes some people do strange things without fully waking up, like eating while sleeping or wandering off.

"The reoccurrence of an addiction problem can be triggered by things that happen in every day life, such as taking the common treatment for stomach flu. That's not an excuse for what happened Wednesday evening, but it is a reality of fighting a chronic condition, for which I'm taking full responsibility," said Kennedy.

"I am deeply concerned about my reaction to the medication and my lack of knowledge of the accident that evening. But I do know enough to know that I need help," Kennedy said, adding that he plans seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota on Friday afternoon.

Kennedy said he has been "fighting" the "chronic disease of addiction" since he was younger and has "aggressively and periodically sought treatment so that I could live a full and productive life."

"I've dedicated my public service to raising awareness about the chronic disease of addiction and have fought to increase access to care and recovery supports for the many Americans forced to struggle on their own," said Kennedy, who closed the press conference by calling for the passage of mental health parity - requiring the same health insurance coverage for mental disorders as physical disorders.

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