Tulsa - An Oklahoma congressman is now performing a delicate balancing act -- representing you in Congress for the first time since treatment for alcoholism.

Republican John Sullivan is easing back into his routine. That's after thirty days of relative isolation at the Betty Ford Center. He says changing his life wasn't made any easier by what's going on in Washington.

"If you like the way things are going, it's because they're in charge. And that's what they're doing. They're taxing energy, they're growing government, they're going to national socialize our health care system. Those things are not the right approach and they can do those things which is so frightening right now."

Sullivan is hoping to revive the health debate in Washington. He wants to make up for lost time at the Capitol and here at home.

A problem that started with light beer was damaging his life and his family. So, after years of fighting it alone, he finally sought treatment. But, he says rehab was a real challenge.

"It's tough because you're in this process, its tremendously honest, its a rigorously honest program," he says. "You cut right through all the b-s and get right down to it with someone."

He is hoping his time at the Betty Ford Center in California will lead to something positive. He's going to be active in Alcoholics Anonymous and wants to help others join the struggle for self control.

"If you think you need help, you need to go forward and get it," he says. "And the best time to get it is right now. Because it just doesn't get any better. It always gets progressively worse if you don't address it."

Sullivan will tell you it can take years to get there. He found out after decades of trial and error that it can be a losing battle.

"I did quite one time for about six years when I was about 27 to about 33," he says. "(I) started again a little bit and then again quit for several years. I was never really a daily drinker. I never did it like that. I was more of a binge drinker on weekends a lot."

For Sullivan, the problem began when he was a high school athlete at Bishop Kelley. A well-conditioned teenager, he had a weakness he wouldn't understand for years to come.

"I started drinking pretty young, probably 15, 16 years old. I drank some with friends and it got progressively worse."

Sullivan says it was hard for him to accept as an adult because he still exercises a lot and gets his work done despite a busy schedule.

"People or things didn't make me drink," he says. "That's not what it was. It wasn't like things were stressful. I just did. I'm an alcoholic ya know? And if I start drinking I want to drink more, not every time but eventually that does happen."

Sullivan says over time, the occasional binge evolved from light beer to vodka and a strain at home. He says he wants to make it up to his family and his constituents by turning it all into a positive.

"I'm sure some people are disappointed with me," he says. "But it's hard to apologize because I needed to get help and I did. And I wanted to come forward and do this in a way that was public because I want to help other people."

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