Paula Abdul Says No to Drugs, Alcohol

American Idol judge denies for the umpteenth time that her wacky antics on the show stem from drug or alcohol use

By Sarah Hall May 30, 2007 11:12 PMTags

Paula Abdul doth protest too much, we thinks.

The American Idol judge has denied yet again that her often bizarre behavior on the Fox show stems from drug or alcohol use.

"I'm sick of it. I've never been drunk. I don't do recreational drugs. It's defamation of character," Abdul told OK! magazine in its latest issue.

Abdul, 44, has said in the past that she suffers from reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), a rare neurological disorder that causes chronic pain.

She claims the condition often keeps her up at night, leaving her exhausted and therefore more prone to making nonsensical statements.

"If I appear exhausted on television, it's because I am! I have a lot of sleepless nights because I'm in so much pain," she said. "I try to say something and I stumble, and that's what people have picked up on. I'm not polished."

Abdul's chronic pain began with a cheerleading accident when she was 17, and was exacerbated by a car accident caused by a drunk driver in 1987 and a plane crash in 1992.

"I have four titanium plates in my neck. I've had 14 surgeries over the years. I had an operation the same evening as the first-season finale of American Idol," she told OK!

She said she manages the pain with anti-inflammatory medications, massage therapy and acupuncture.

"It can come and go at any time, but I no longer have the intense nerve pain that is associated with RSD, thank God."

Abdul first revealed that she suffered from the condition in 2005 while responding to rampant speculation from posters on the American Idol message boards about her erratic behavior on the show.

"It was time to set the record straight. I want America to know that I have never been addicted to anything, no chemical dependency, nothing for recreational purposes," she told Entertainment Weekly.

In January, she again spoke up in her own defense after raising eyebrows by conducting a series of television interviews in which she slurred her words and appeared generally confused.

She blamed the incident on a combination of factors, including an audio glitch and lack of sleep, but firmly denied that alcohol or drugs had anything to do with it.

"Fatigue and exhaustion just added to the whole thing looking so disoriented. But no alcohol and no drugs, absolutely no!" Abdul told Robin Leach's Vegas-based blog, Luxe Life, at the time.

"I just can't explain it, but for me, no excuses and no apologies."

Despite the occasionally unwanted attention her Idol judgeship has brought upon her, Abdul said that appearing on the show has been the most rewarding experience of her life.

"Being a judge on American Idol overshadows being a Grammy Award winner and selling millions of records," she said.

As for being the "nice one," in contrast to her fellow panelists Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, the former Laker Girl said it comes naturally.

"My purpose is bringing out everybody's best and being that cheerleader to other people's success," she said.