( CNN ) -- The mother of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said she did n't know her son 's substance abuse was that bad until he announced he was getting help . `` I had no idea it was as serious as it was , '' Diane Ford told CTV News. `` But then he does n't live with me so I do n't know what he does every minute of every day . '' Her son said Wednesday he is taking a break from his re-election campaign and his mayoral duties to seek help for alcohol abuse -- hours after a local newspaper reported on a new video that allegedly shows him smoking crack cocaine . `` It 's not easy to be vulnerable and this is one of the most difficult times in my life , '' Ford said in a statement Wednesday . `` I have a problem with alcohol , and the choices I have made while under the influence . I have struggled with this for some time . '' His statement came after the Toronto Globe and Mail reported on the new video . Family relieved . Ford 's brother , Doug , said he was relieved his brother was finally getting help . `` As an older brother , I am relieved that Rob has faced his problems and has decided to seek professional help , '' said Doug Ford Jr. , a Toronto city councilor . `` This is not an easy thing for anyone to do , especially when you 're the mayor of the city . '' In the video purportedly filmed Saturday , the newspaper reports Ford is seen smoking what a drug dealer described to the paper as crack cocaine from a copper-colored pipe . Two Globe and Mail reporters viewed the video , and the publication said it was shot in what appears to be Ford 's sister 's basement . Opponents jump in . The paper said the substance in the pipe could not be confirmed . The video is part `` of a package of three videos the dealer said was surreptitiously filmed around 1:15 a.m. , and which he says he is now selling for 'at least six figures , ' '' the paper reported . Ford 's opponents in the mayoral race said he should have stepped down long ago . The election is October 27 . `` It 's obvious that Mr. Ford is a sick man . It 's obvious that he has a serious substance abuse problem , '' said Olivia Chow , who added that she wished him strength in his recovery . `` He had his chance , '' Chow said . `` Last year , everyone said he needs to get help . He did n't . The time to take a leave of absence was last year . '' Another recording . Chow and another candidate , Karen Stintz , also criticized Ford for comments attributed to him in an audio recording that was posted on a Toronto newspaper 's website . CNN has not confirmed that the voice on the recording obtained by the Toronto Sun is Ford 's . The mayor told a Sun columnist , `` I would n't say that ... I am appalled . '' In the recording , reportedly made Monday , a male voice is heard saying of Stintz : `` I 'd like to f****** jam her . '' `` I am disappointed by the misogynistic language used by Rob Ford , '' Stintz told reporters . `` The only people who can remove Rob Ford from office are the people of Toronto . I have faith in the people of this city . Rob Ford is not Toronto . We need to move forward . '' Leave is immediate . Shortly after the newspaper confronted the mayor about the alleged crack smoking video , Ford announced he was taking a break to get help . His lawyer , Dennis Morris , said the leave begins immediately . Morris later said that Ford had flown to Chicago , though he would n't comment on what the mayor was doing there -- including whether or not he 'd go into rehab in that city or nearby . Earlier , Morris told the Globe that he questioned the authenticity of the video , and said it is hard to prove what the Mayor is smoking . Fall from grace . Ford 's fall from grace started in May 2013 when a cell phone video taken months earlier appeared to show him smoking crack cocaine . Despite intense public pressure , he remained defiant and denied using any illicit drugs . In November , the city council stripped him of most of his power as mayor . That did n't stop Ford , though . He ignored calls to enter rehab or resign , instead vowing `` outright war '' on the city council . None of this stopped Ford from seeking another term in office , something he 's done for the past few months despite continued public ridicule and other challenges . In January , he admitted he had suffered a `` minor setback '' after a video posted on social media showed him babbling about the city 's police chief while at a fast-food restaurant . At the time , he insisted that he 'd had a small amount to drink , but he had n't taken any drugs . CNN 's Paula Newton and Catherine Shoichet contributed to this report .
Lawyer says Rob Ford goes to Chicago , does n't specify why . Rob Ford 's brother Doug : `` This is not an easy thing for anyone to do '' His break comes after a new report linked him to substance abuse .