Plea deal Lohan admits drink and drug habit

Lindsay Lohan admitted today that she was addicted to drink and drugs after reaching a plea deal which means she will serve just one day in jail on drunken driving and cocaine charges.

The deal on the misdemeanour charges also call for the 21-year-old actress to serve 10 days' community service and complete a drug treatment programme.

She was placed on 36 months' probation, is required to complete an 18-month alcohol education programme, pay hundreds of dollars in fines and must complete a three-day county coroner programme in which she will visit a mortuary and talk to victims of drink drivers.

"It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," Lohan said in a statement released by publicist Leslie Sloane Zelnik.

"I broke the law and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges in my case."

"She's getting what everyone else would get," Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers said after an hour-long hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Terms of the plea bargain were worked out in chambers.

Lohan was charged earlier in the day with seven misdemeanours stemming from two drink-driving arrests in the last four months. More serious felony drug charges were not filed, prosecutors said, because tests showed there was not enough cocaine on her to warrant them.

Lawyer Blair Berk entered pleas on Lohan's behalf. She pleaded guilty to two counts of being under the influence of cocaine and no contest to two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08% and one count of reckless driving.

Two counts of driving under the influence were dropped.

Lohan was arrested on May 26 in Beverly Hills and on July 24 in Santa Monica. In each incident, the amount of cocaine tested was below the .05 grams required for felony charges, according to the district attorney's office.

Each of Lohan's arrests were followed by trips to rehab.

Lohan's legal problems come on the heels of two other high-profile celebrity driving under the influence cases that resulted in jail time. Socialite Paris Hilton served 23 days behind bars after she was found guilty of driving on a suspended licence while on probation for an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

Actress Nicole Richie was ordered to serve four days in jail stemming from a December driving under the influence arrest - but was freed after just 82 minutes.

If Lohan were to be convicted of another DUI, she would receive a mandatory 120-day jail sentence, Meyers said.

"No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself. I thank God I did not injure others. I easily could have," Lohan's statement said.

"I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so. I am taking these steps to improve my life.

"Luckily, I am not alone in my daily struggle and I know that people like me have succeeded. Maybe with time it will become easier. I hope so."

Lohan crashed her Mercedes-Benz into a tree on Sunset Boulevard in May and fled the scene to seek medical treatment. Police tests revealed that a white powder found in Lohan's purse was .04 grams of cocaine.

Lohan checked into the posh Promises rehabilitation centre after the incident. She left on July 13 after six weeks of treatment wearing an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet.

But Lohan was arrested again on July 24 following an emergency call by Michelle Peck, the mother of Lohan's former personal assistant. Peck told police she was being chased by a sport utility vehicle. Police later said Lohan was the driver.

Lohan's blood-alcohol level was between 0.12 and 0.13% when police found her, officials said. Police also found a white powder in her pocket that was found to be .02 grams of cocaine.

She was enrolled in a drug rehab centre in Sundance, Utah, lawyers told the court last night.

A woman who was a passenger in Michelle Peck's vehicle sued the actress this month for assault and negligence.

Tracie Rice's suit seeks unspecified damages and payment of medical and other expenses related to emotional distress.

Lohan started 2007 in rehab at the Wonderland Centre in Los Angeles.

Her latest film, I Know Who Killed Me, opened in July to lacklustre response.