Conner Says Life Changed Post-rehab



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08:17 PM, January 27th 2007
by News Staff











Miss USA Tara Conner said she recognized she suffered "from the disease of alcoholism and addition" while in rehab in Pennsylvania.

"I didn't think I had any kind of issue going into rehab," Conner told People magazine. "But I've realized I do have an issue. I suffer from the disease of alcoholism and addiction."

The 21-year-old Kentucky native checked into a Pennsylvania treatment center in December after allegations of underage drinking and hard partying surfaced. She spent 31 days in treatment, and left the facility Jan. 21.

"My life has completely changed," she said in her interview. "I'm a completely different person out of rehab. Before I entered rehab I hardly knew who I was. I felt like I was floating and I just needed someone to pull me down."

Conner, who admitted taking her first drink at 14, almost lost her crown after the reports surfaced, but Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss Universe organization, offered her a second chance provided she sought treatment.