Between Breaths
A Memoir of Panic and Addiction
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4.6 • 683 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Beloved former ABC 20/20 anchor Elizabeth Vargas share the truth about her alcohol addiction and anxiety disorder in this honest and emotional memoir.
From the moment she uttered the brave and honest words, "I am an alcoholic," to interviewer George Stephanopoulos, Elizabeth Vargas began writing her story, as her experiences were still raw. Now, in Between Breaths, Vargas discusses her accounts of growing up with anxiety--which began suddenly at the age of six when her father served in Vietnam--and how she dealt with this anxiety as she came of age, eventually turning to alcohol for a release from her painful reality. The now-A&E Network reporter reveals how she found herself living in denial about the extent of her addiction, and how she kept her dependency a secret for so long. She addresses her time in rehab, her first year of sobriety, and the guilt she felt as a working mother who could never find the right balance between a career and parenting. Honest and hopeful, Between Breaths is an inspiring read. Winner of the Books for a Better Life Award in the First Book category Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her eye-opening memoir, World News Tonight and 20/20 coanchor Vargas chronicles a difficult and inspiring life hidden not only from the public, but from her family and friends. Vargas was an anxious child; when her father, a U.S. Army captain, was sent to Vietnam, the family moved to Okinawa. In the ensuing years Vargas lived in 14 homes, on nine army bases, and attended eight schools. Ashamed of her nervousness, she kept her unease to herself, but in spite of it she blossomed in high school, later enrolling in the journalism program at the University of Missouri and eventually climbing the ladder to a spot at NBC, moving to ABC in 1996. When she was anxious, Vargas used alcohol to calm herself, becoming a "highly functional addict," managing to keep her composure on the job whether interviewing the president of the U.S., covering the war in Iraq, or traveling to Cambodia for a story on baby trafficking. She married a Grammy Award winning singer, had two sons, and appeared to have it all. As her story develops, Vargas describes her weeks in rehab, her relapses, a frightening experience with lethal blood-alcohol content, and the transformative moment when she realizes the importance of asking for help. This gripping memoir of addiction takes readers from the highs of Vargas's successful news career to the lows of alcoholism, and through the grace of recovery.
Customer Reviews
Breathtaking.....
Spectacular story. I'm no longer drinking because of it.
Could not put it down
Congratulations to you Elizabeth. What a transparent, beautiful book. I was so drawn in learning about your life and your addiction. I'm so sorry you had to go through it all. You seem so wonderful and genuine. Good luck to you and your renewed life.
Vividly honest & a lifesaver
Elizabeth writes beautifully about her journey to sobriety and the struggles so many of us all have. I'm thankful to have read it and have been inspired by it. It may have just been the book, that too, saves my life. Thank you Elizabeth for your bravery, courage and strength.