Elizabeth Vargas - A Story of Anxiety, Addiction & Hope
Introduction
Elizabeth Vargas is an American television journalist best known for her years as co-anchor of World News Tonight and 20/20 on ABC News. Throughout her career, she built a reputation as a respected reporter and broadcaster, covering major stories from around the world while appearing to have a successful and stable life.
Behind the scenes, however, Vargas was struggling with anxiety and alcohol addiction. Despite access to treatment, professional success, and the support of family and friends, she found herself trapped in a cycle of drinking that she could not control. Over time, what began as a way to cope with anxiety developed into a severe alcohol use disorder that affected both her personal and professional life.
In this interview with Diane Sawyer, Vargas speaks candidly about addiction, recovery, relapse, and the link between anxiety and alcoholism. She reflects on her experiences in treatment, the impact her drinking had on those around her, and why recovery remains a daily commitment built on hope, honesty, and support.
Elizabeth Vargas
Through her bestselling memoir Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction, her podcast Heart of the Matter, and her work with Partnership to End Addiction, Elizabeth Vargas encourages open conversations about recovery, challenges stigma, and offers hope to individuals and families affected by substance use disorders.
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Quotes
"When you’re walking up the street and it’s a beautiful evening and all the people are out at the sidewalk cafes and wine bars, enjoying these lovely, beautiful glasses of wine, I don’t look at them and think I want one, but I look at them and I think, I miss that. I miss that time when it felt so innocent and romantic but that’s just me romanticizing something that turned out to be really monstrous for me."
"There are days when you wake up and feel so horrible that the only thing that will make you feel better is more alcohol and that’s when you’re in the death spin, that’s when people die."
"When you’re in the cycle of this disease though, it doesn’t matter how much you have or how little you have, it didn’t matter … I lost sight of everything."
"She’s written a book for all the millions of people like her and their families, locked into this same wrenching journey."
"I would die for my children, but I couldn't stop drinking for my children … just because I didn't physically endanger my children doesn't mean I didn't devastate them or put them in danger emotionally or psychologically."
"It was only after that Florida vacation in 2012 that Elizabeth Vargas decided her drinking was enough of a problem. She would tell her bosses that she had a medical issue but secretly she was making a visit to her first rehab facility where the minimum stay is usually 30 days."
"While she’s there [a second stay in rehab], she met this man, Earl Hightower, one of the nation’s leading experts on alcoholism intervention and recovery. He says instantly he saw she’d made a career of hiding her fears and resisting help and she wasn’t ready to face the truth."
"Heavy drinking over time hijacks certain processes in the brain, the physiology of the brain, so that it begins to crave alcohol just to feel normal, no longer drinking for the enjoyment of it, just to feel okay."
"The growing body of evidence about the link between alcoholism and anxiety, especially among women, is causing some experts to broaden their approach to treatment and recovery … on average, an addict will relapse 3-4 times before they get sober and alcoholics who have anxiety are at twice the risk of relapse."
"There’s no guarantee that I can stay sober for 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years. The truth of the matter is every single alcoholic only has today – none of us knows what will happen tomorrow. We all do everything we can today that tomorrow we won’t pick up a drink, but we really only have today."
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Brenda H.
BA Psych, Grad. Cert. Addictions & Mental Health
Driven by a deep personal connection to these topics, I created AMH Resources to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and everyday support. I watch, read, and summarize a wide range of free resources to help you navigate the overwhelming amount of information available and find what resonates with your journey.