Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan announced Sunday that he was seeking treatment for alcohol dependency.
"I took this step 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," Flanagan said in a statement.
He said he recognized that alcohol was becoming a "crutch" and encouraged others who found themselves becoming dependent to seek help.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted Sunday that Flanagan "deserves our respect & support for seeking help & for talking about it as an example for others."
Flanagan, a Republican, represents Smithtown and parts of Brookhaven and Huntington. He was first elected to the state Senate in 2002. He has been Senate Majority Leader since 2015.
