In late 2013, Elizabeth Vargas confirmed with the media that she was undergoing treatment for alcoholism. Vargas, a longtime journalist and news anchor of ABC’s 20/20, tried to keep her addiction confidential, but being in the public eye can make that impossible.
“After it was leaked to the press that I was in rehab, I was forced to issue a statement saying I was seeking help,” Vargas says. “I would have preferred my medical issue would have been private, but it wasn’t. I felt very alone when I was first trying to get sober.”
Even in this time of stress and anxiety, Vargas found comfort in reading books about others dealing with addiction and how they overcame hardships. After receiving medical help, Vargas decided to work to break the stigmas associated with alcoholism and write her book, Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction.
On May 9, Healthy New Albany and the New Albany Community Foundation welcomes Vargas for the final Jefferson Series event of the 2017-2018 season. Guests can expect to hear Vargas speak on her career and past health concerns. Though addiction is a part of her life, it is not her entire life.
An Impressive Career
After working for a Chicago-based news outlet and NBC, Vargas broke the glass ceiling when she became an anchor for 20/20. She was not only the first woman anchor on a network evening newscast in the country since Connie Chung, but the first Latina woman to take on the position.
“It was an enormous honor to be the first Latina to anchor the evening news,” she says. “It’s really important that we in the news represent all the people in the country – women, men, people of all socioeconomic strata and all colors.”
In December 2017, Vargas announced her resignation from ABC News, and will leave in May. Though it will end her 22-year career with ABC, it won’t mean the end of Vargas’ professional life.
“I hope I get the chance to continue to do the work I love someplace else,” she says.
Dealing with Addiction
When Vargas realized her addiction was only getting worse, she knew it was time to seek help, no matter how challenging.
“For people in the grip of the disease of addiction, it can be very difficult to get help,” she says. “For me, it was finally realizing that I would lose everything to this disease if I didn’t get help.”
Vargas describes her two children, Zachary and Samuel, as the greatest gift in her life. She knew that she needed to get healthy, if not for herself, then for them, and that required taking time to go to rehab.
“I went to rehab, but it took a while for recovery to stick. That is the one thing I would tell people suffering, and those who love them: getting sober is very hard,” Vargas says. “The biggest hurdle is accepting that addiction is a disease. So many people are quick to harshly judge the addict, to expect one with an addiction to ‘get better now’ after the first attempt at sobriety. People relapse. It’s part of recovery.”
Now, Vargas hopes to live a healthier lifestyle through exercise and working to curb her anxiety.
“(I enjoy) going to the movies with my kids, doing yoga, playing tennis and reading a good book,” Vargas says. “I am a voracious reader.”
Being such an avid reader likely aided Vargas in becoming an award-winning author.
Writing her Book
Many who live with alcoholism believe their personal and professional lives may crumble if their disease were to become known. The stigma is strong, but it is fading due to the work of people including Vargas.
Upon reading statistics about alcoholism and seeking treatment, Vargas knew she had to do more to combat these stigmas.
“I want to work hard to break that stigma, to help people understand this truly is a disease,” she says. “Right now, only 10 percent of those suffering seek help. Most of the 90 percent who do not get help suffer because of the stigma around addiction.”
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than 80,000 people die from alcohol-related deaths each year in the U.S. This disease is one of the nation’s largest cause of deaths annually, but Vargas is hoping to encourage more to seek help, which is one of the reasons she will appear onstage at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts.
“I hope that by writing my book and telling my story, we can chip away at the pervasive belief that alcoholics or addicts are somehow different from normal people. Every person knows someone who is struggling with this disease,” she says. “If more people talked about it, we would be closer to helping the millions who still suffer.”
Fit Five: Elizabeth Vargas talks about her health habits
1) Are there any foods you avoid or emphasize?
I avoid heavy or fried foods; they make me feel awful. I try to eat as many vegetables as possible. I try to eat “clean” and healthy, with not too much going on with the dish when I cook.
2) What are your favorite ways to stay active?
I do yoga and take spinning classes, and I try to get to the gym to do a little weight training. It’s hard for me sometimes to get to the gym, but once there, I am always so happy.
3) What do you do to relax?
I love to read and play chess with my sons.
4) With your past challenges with alcoholism, how do you avoid triggers?
For me, it’s all about dealing with anxiety. I now meditate and talk with friends to keep my perspective healthy. I try not to worry so much, and to remember every day is a gift.
5) How do you and your sons stay healthy in this busy world?
Taking good care of ourselves and remembering to laugh. It’s the best therapy in the world.
The Jefferson Series presents Elizabeth Vargas
Wednesday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
RELATED READS
