More than a year after boasting that she kicked her habit through prayer, Houston has checked herself into a drug rehabilitation clinic, her spokeswoman said yesterday.

Houston "thanks everyone for their support and prayers," Nancy Seltzer said in a statement.

Seltzer was stingy with details and did not divulge where Houston was drying out. But she told the Daily News that Houston's 10-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, "was with family."

By family Seltzer was not referring to the girl's dad, bad-boy R&B singer Bobby Brown. He is in jail for violating probation on a number of charges, including a battery charge for smacking Houston around.

Brown, 35, is set to be released from the DeKalb County jail near Atlanta on April 4, officials said.

Houston, 40, admitted on ABC's "Primetime" in December 2002 that she had abused cocaine, pills, marijuana and liquor. She also told Diane Sawyer she had been cured with the help of a spiritual adviser.

The Grammy-winning singer's nationally televised confession also drew the attention of child-welfare authorities in New Jersey, where she lived at the time with Brown in Mendham Township.

Houston's public mea culpa came after she failed to show up for a series of public appearances and after a brush with the law.

In January 2000, Houston left behind a bag at Keahole Kona International Airport in Hawaii that allegedly held less than half an ounce of pot and three partially smoked joints. A petty misdemeanor drug charge was dismissed a year later after a drug counselor told prosecutors Houston did not need substance abuse treatment.

Meanwhile, Houston's increasingly erratic behavior coupled with a dramatic weight loss sparked rumors that she was ill. Fans were especially alarmed after Houston showed up for the Michael Jackson tribute at Madison Square Garden in September 2001 looking like a famine victim.

Houston is one of the biggest pop stars of all time. She has won six Grammy Awards and is the first artist ever to have seven consecutive singles hit No.1 on the Billboard music survey.


Some of Whitney Houston's recent problems:

January 2000: Whitney busted for pot possession at Hawaiian airport. Charges later dismissed.

March 2000: Amid reports she is difficult and in no shape to perform, Whitney is yanked from Oscars performance, replaced at last minute by Faith Hill.

September 2001: Whitney shocks fans with emaciated, unsteady appearance at Michael Jackson tribute concert. Later, rumors swirl she's dead of drug overdose.

December 2002: Whitney tells Diane Sawyer she "partied my tail off" with alcohol, pot, cocaine and pills, but insists she's now clean, saying prayer helped her to sobriety.

December 2003: Houston, who has had two separations from her husband Bobby Brown, suffers bruised cheek and cut lip in domestic scuffle. Brown's charged with battery, but she showers him with hugs and kisses at court.

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