CC Sabathia says he realized he was an alcoholic in 2012

New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia announced early last month that he was going to rehab for alcoholism, but it wasn’t until this week that he finally sat down for an interview. While speaking with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, the Cy Young Award winning pitcher said that he realized in 2012 that he was an alcoholic.

“In 2012, I kind of came to the realization that I was an alcoholic,” Sabathia told Roberts in an interview that aired on Good Morning America today. “And I was kind of battling it without any help.”

However, on Oct. 5, Sabathia announced that he had decided to get help and left the Yankees to go to a rehabilitation center. It made him unavailable for the Yankees’ Al Wild Card Game, which the team lost.

Sabathia, 35, told Roberts that he was “tired of hiding” and that he felt “such a relief” that everyone knows about his fight today. He has now completed his treatment.

“I can just, you know, start the healing process and take steps forward to get myself better,” Sabathia said.

He explained that he reached the decision to go to rehab after he began drinking again on the last weekend of the season in Baltimore, where the Yankees were playing the Orioles.

“It was a tough decision to make because I felt like I was leaving my teammates, but I definitely needed the help to be a better, you know, husband, father, teammate... player,” Sabathia said.

He added that many of his fellow players, including Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Torii Hunter and David Ortiz, have supported him.

“I advise anybody, if they're out there, feeling like they need help, to get it,” Sabathia said.

Sabathia is a six-time All Star and won the World Series with the Yankees in 2009. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2007 with the Indians.

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