RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina Rep. Joe Boylan says he is an alcoholic.

The Moore County Republican discussed his drinking problem on the House floor Tuesday and asked for forgiveness for his behavior over the past year while in the Legislature. Colleagues clapped for him after he gave a brief speech.
In April, Boylan was charged with driving while impaired after he drove his pickup truck off a road and hit a tree. The first-term lawmaker lost the following month in the GOP primary.

Boylan told colleagues that his actions had hurt or disappointed many of them and “has reflected poor on this great House.”

He said he’s doing everything he can to ensure that each day he doesn’t take a drink.