Mark Suppelsa, the 5 and 9 p.m. anchor at WGN, has announced that he will take a month off from the Chicago CW-affiliate to be treated for alcohol addiction. Suppelsa shared the news with WGN staffers in a note on Friday:
I’m driving soon with my family to Hazelden in Minnesota where they’ll drop me off for a month long alcohol recovery program. I have felt for some time that this would become necessary and I’ve now crossed a bridge in my life where I want and need to do this. It’s my choice. No one is forcing me to do it.
Simply put, I have been abusing alcohol at the end of my work day as my family slept. It was my secret and I became very accomplished at hiding it. I do my best to function at a high level and I know that it is my responsibility to correct anything that potentially interferes with my family or my work.
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Suppelsa is expected to return to the WGN anchor desk next month. “We are supportive of Mark’s efforts to deal with this issue and look forward to his return,” VP-GM Marty Wilke said in a statement. “We, and he, appreciate the support from our viewers.”