Pat Sajak admits he and "Wheel of Fortune" co-star Vanna White drank alcoholic beverages before taping episodes of the U.S. game show in the early 1980s.

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Sajak, 65, began presenting the program in 1981.

"When I first started and was much younger and could tolerate those things," TVGuide.com quoted Sajak as saying in an interview for the ESPN chat show "Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable."

"We had a different show then," he said.

Sajak said he and White would go to a nearby Mexican restaurant in Burbank, Calif., during their 2 1/2-hour dinner breaks.

"Vanna and I would go across and have two or three or six [drinks] and then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet. They're really great tapes to get a hold of," Sajak said.

"I had a great time. I have no idea if the shows were any good, but no one said anything, so I guess I did OK. ... I would be hesitant to have anything to drink now."