Names in the News : Kitty Dukakis Vows Alcohol Victory

Kitty Dukakis, wife of Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, said today that she continues to fight her alcoholism but plans to resume her busy public life and schedule.

“I am an alcoholic,” she told the media at a news conference attended by her husband, adding that she hopes the public nature of her visit to a treatment center will encourage others to follow her route. “I would have preferred to deal with my private trouble in private,” she said, acknowledging that was not possible as the wife of Massachusetts’ governor. “One of the mysteries of this disease is that you can have a loving family, a network of caring friends and still face recovery every day,” she said, asking that she be afforded some privacy during the fight.

She returned home Tuesday after spending 31 days at Edgehill Newport, a private short-term treatment facility in Rhode Island.