WGN Anchor Mark Suppelsa still remembers what his wife, Candus, said to him seven or eight years ago."She would say, 'You're not you, you're distant, you're edgy, you're not as funny as you used to be,'" Suppelsa said.

It was at that time that Suppelsa admits he was an alcoholic. 

The Chicago Tribune writes that he vividly recalls the first time he tried a beer during high school, Suppelsa said he loved the feeling.

"It loosened me up and make me more social, because really, in my core I'm an introvert," he said.

He said he enjoyed drinking throughout college and beyond, until he realized five and a half years ago that alcohol was controlling him.

"Over the years, the disease progressed. The alcohol I'd drink at a party wasn't enough, so I'd have a second party by myself when I got home," Suppelsa said. "I would grill for my family and have one bottle of wine in the kitchen and one hidden underneath the grill so I could pour extra for myself."

Suppelsa said he realized he was heading into trouble, but he did what every alcoholic does – tried to control it himself, trying things like only allowing himself to drink on weekends, or only drinking wine versus hard liquor. Nothing worked.

He said he still remembers the day and time – May 3, 2012, at 3 a.m., when he realized it was time to get help.

"I was sound asleep and semi passed out in a chair, an empty wine bottle next to me. Candus woke me up and asked, 'Do you need help?'" he said. "At that moment I felt like I was caught. I said, 'I think I have a problem.' I told her to go outside in the recycling bin and look at all the empty bottles I hid under newspapers."

Three days later the family drove to Minnesota, where Suppelsa checked into Hazelden. He said he was scared and a little embarrassed, but eager to find out how they were going to help him.

Now sober, Suppelsa plans on retiring from WGN at the end of the year and moving to Montana with his family. But, he says life is much better now that he has given up drinking. 

"I'm calmer, more attentive, a better listener, and everything is more colorful. One of our first getaways as a couple after treatment, (Candus) said, 'It's like you're back!'" Suppelsa said. "With my kids, I'm all in in, in terms of focusing on them, what is happening in their lives and just being a dad."