That inability to say no when you are young, helpless and scared haunts you all throughout adulthood. Having grown up in a divorced, dysfunctional, sexually and emotionally abusive household, I know very well those feelings of wanting to escape, numb and hide- from those who were hurting me, not protecting me as they should have, for not seeing that I needed help, and from my own damaged self. I also wish she would have told us more about what it was like to be a Latina in a white girl's world. 2 years sober is not much in the world of an alcoholic. I'm also worried that she may have written the book too soon. She seemed to dwell more on the embarrassment of her drinking rather than what it was doing to her family and job or her intention to quit. She insisted she had to keep working to keep up her family's lifestyle once again, I would downsize my house, car, etc., in a minute if it meant it would be beneficial to my kids and their upbringing.Īs for her alcoholism, I am married to an alcoholic and several of my family members are also alcoholics. If she really wanted to be with her kids, one would think she would make those difficult decisions and place her family above her career. She complained about not having time with her two children, but when given a promotion to co-anchor the evening news, she decided HERSELF that she did not want to give up her additional position on 20/20. She told us endlessly about her experiences being bullied in elementary and middle schools but never gave a concrete example. I hate to say this because it's going to make me look like a jerk, but I felt that most of the book was whin-ey and 'poor me'. Winner of the Books for a Better Life Award in the First Book category Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Honest and hopeful, Between Breaths is an inspiring read. 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.

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. 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. Beloved former ABC 20/20 anchor Elizabeth Vargas reveals her alcohol addiction and anxiety disorder in a shockingly honest and emotional memoir.įrom 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.

Elizabeth vargas book review