Rush Ready for Radio Return

Wed., Nov. 12, 2003 3:30 PM PST by

He's rested. He's rehabbed. He's "chomping at the bit."

Apparently 30 days in an undisclosed treatment facility for prescription pill dependency did little to mellow a "pumped-up" Rush Limbaugh, who plans to return to his nationally syndicated radio show Monday.

Limbaugh's brother, David Limbaugh, made the announcement on Wednesday's Rush Limbaugh Show.

"He's obviously chomping at the bit to get back to doing what he does best, and that's getting back on the air," David Limbaugh, a lawyer and columnist, told guest host Matt Drudge. "He's all excited. He's totally pumped up."

Rush Limbaugh, who left for a month's-long rehab stay immediately following his October 10 broadcast, will pick up where he left off, mouthing off behind the mike, three hours a day, five days a week.

His brother said Limbaugh had "successfully completed the first phase of his treatment."

As Rush Limbaugh told his audience of 20 million devoted Dittoheads, he's hooked on painkillers, which the talk host and short-lived ESPN commentator said were first prescribed for back pain.

Limbaugh said that he had checked into "medical facilities" two previous times to try to break himself of his pill habit.

While the third time may turn out to be the charm, the last month has been anything but magical for Limbaugh. His latest rehab stint came in the wake of a National Enquirer report that the liberal-bashing broadcaster was being investigated by Palm Beach, Florida, authorities. Limbaugh's former housekeeper told the tab she'd purchased "thousands" of prescription painkillers for her then-boss, including OxyContin, the so-called "hillbilly heroin" that has hooked the likes of Jack Osbourne.

Last month, Rush Limbaugh promised listeners he'd clear up "inaccuracies and distortions" regarding the drug-use stories, as soon as he is "free to speak about them."

As for the post-rehab life, David Limbaugh said his older brother was "very realistic about the long road ahead of him, and he's committed to staying the course."

David Limbaugh also said the radio right-winger had been touched by the support he'd received from listeners.

A poll of Rush Limbaugh loyalists last month indicated that, indeed, they intended to stay loyal to their man, despite his admitted addiction. Twenty-two percent even said their opinion of the media star had risen "because of the way he is handling his problems."

One who apparently was not polled was Don Imus. The veteran shock jock (and fellow rehab alum) called out Limbaugh last month as "a fat, pill-popping loser and an undisciplined slob who was turning his maid into a drug pusher."

Limbaugh's show has continued in his five-week absence with six guest hosts, including Web maven Drudge and Fox News' Tony Snow.

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