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Sabathia: 'No other option' but alcohol treatment

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 husband, father, teammate, you know, player.

NEW YORK -- New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia first realized three years ago he was an alcoholic.

Sabathia left the team for treatment ahead of its loss to Houston in the one-game AL wild-card playoff and went public with his problem.

"In 2012, I kind of came to the realization I was an alcoholic, and I was kind of battling it without any help," he told ABC in an interview broadcast Friday, his first remarks to media since treatment.