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New York Senate leader treated for alcohol dependency


ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s top Republican leader Sunday acknowledged he recently underwent rehab for alcohol dependency.

Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, R-Suffolk County, said he sought help so his job and family would not be negatively affected.

"Recently, I recognized that alcohol was becoming a crutch to deal with pressure I was under related to my responsibilities as majority leader of the New York State Senate," he said in a statement.

"Therefore, I proactively took control of the situation and sought immediate help so I could overcome it and move forward."

Flanagan heads the 32-member Senate Republican conference, and he has been its leader since 2015, succeeding Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, who was charged and later convicted in a corruption scandal.

Flanagan, 56, said he sought help "to ensure this dependency would not affect my ability to do my job or represent my constituents or the members of our Senate Republican majority."