Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction

Elizabeth has always been one of my favorite news people and I was shocked when I heard she had gone to rehab for alcoholism. She tells her story with bravery, honesty and vulnerability. It's hard to say you enjoyed a book where someone fell so many times but it was inspiring that she continued to pick herself back up. I wish her the best in the future.

Worth Getting in Bed For? Yes. This is a sound memoir on Vargas' alcohol addiction and treatment. It is well-written and informative but it seems as if Vargas is holding back. She is very careful and diplomatic in her treatment of others. This is not a gossipy read but a story of her battle with addiction. Helpful and relatable, she shows us addiction doesn't discriminate.

I always loved Elizabeth Vargas on 20/20. She always looks so poised and elegant. That is why it was such a shock when she had to take a break from TV to enter rehab, more than once. Her book chronicles her rise in the news world and her downward spiral when she chose to use alcohol to self medicate an anxiety disorder. I think her story highlights how difficult and stigmatizing it is to get mental help in this country. Instead of directly addressing her anxiety disorder it was easier for her to [...]

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. That inability to say no when you are young, helpless and scared haunts you all throughout adulthood. We wind up unable today no to anything, living a lifetime of trying to, and failing, to please others t [...]

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". She told us endlessly about her experiences being bullied in elementary and middle schools but never gave a concrete example. 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. If she really wanted to be with her kids, [...]

Here is why I love memoirs: you get to learn from someone else's experience. You have someone else's life story to add to your own to help you make better choices. In the case of this book, I didn't necessarily see a path to making better choices but it helped me appreciate the choices I've already made. I know alcoholics and drug addicts intimately. They inhabit every corner of my family tree and have shaped my experiences since the day I was born. I may have many flaws and a collection of poor [...]

I started this book under the impression that it was a different book I had been wanting to read. A few pages in, I realized my “mistake” but was too hooked to care. I’m a sucker for a memoir. Especially if I “know” the author but even if I don’t (which was the case for Elizabeth Vargas - I don’t watch the news much). Stepping into someone’s life and feeling their triumphs but, best of all, their failures is a welcome reminder that no one (including all the pretty/funny/intellige [...]

For someone who lost her marriage and precious years with her kids, this book does not talk much about her husband and kids and the effect her disease had on them. I have two alcoholic family members and I GET THE DISEASE! The thing that bothered me is I felt the news stories of that time in her life got more pages than her family did. I could care less about the politics of ABC!! I care about why her husband chose to divorce her!! And " waaaaa waaaa, I had to give up my Clarins face cream at re [...]

The overarching theme of this book? Appearances, and the components thereof: gender, fame, poise, etc.) have no bearing on the disease of anxiety. And those who have debilitating anxiety will stop at nothing to relieve it. This book is appropriately raw and thoughtfully honest. It paints a messy picture that draws the reader in solidarity, and also serves as a warning to those living on the precipice of something similar. Vargas opens up and details how there's no partial way out when one deals [...]

Candid engrossing readThe twist in this addiction tale is twofold: first, the tale is told by Elizabeth Vargas and it holds the reader in a way other tales on addiction can't. It felt less like reading a book and more like sitting down with her and hearing firsthand what her experience was . That was worth the price of admission alone . The second gift from this book for me was hearing about her lifetime struggle with anxiety . I think a lot of us have that and it was refreshing to get her take [...]

An exceptional and totally honest biography by Elizabeth Vargas. From early childhood on, she has suffered from anxiety and fears of abandonment; in part, because her father was military and often away and in danger during Viet Nam. Add to that her mother had to work and they lived mostly in foreign countries where, at school, she was often bullied, being small in build and shy.The anxiety followed her into adulthood. And to choose the career of a nationally known t.v. reporter and host only add [...]

I have always enjoyed watching Elizabeth’s reporting and I remember seeing her discuss her alcoholism on TV and being shocked. This must have been difficult to write and share so publicly as a reporter. This memoir was very well done, her honesty and ownership is admirable. I like her even more after listening to her book. Drinking alcohol is so commonplace socially as well as a common way to feel more comfortable/relaxed or calmer when under stress that it is easy to rationalize your drinking [...]

Elizabeth Vargas, an American television journalist, recounts her lifelong struggle with anxiety and eventual addiction in this memoir. Her story begins in early childhood when she first began experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. Later, in her adult life, she turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism but eventually realized that this way of coping was creating more difficulties for her than the anxiety she was trying to manage. Much of the memoir focuses on her attempts at rehabilitation and th [...]

I chose this book from the few memoirs available for my Kindle at the library. One thing that struck me was when EV talked about the need to present a perfectly put together image to the worldeven when one is falling apart inside. So many women in particular, struggle with this. I appreciate her honesty and I admire her courage in writing this book.

Just goes to show you never know what path people are walking or what struggles they are dealing with daily. I used to love watching her on 20/20, she was so elegant and well spoken. I had no idea that she struggled with anxiety and alcohol addiction, and hope she finds the peace she is so desperately looking for. For the most part, it was an easy and interesting read, if somewhat reserved.

This was an outstanding book by Elizabeth Vargas! I listened to it on audible and she did an amazing job narrating. It was honest and heart wrenching to hear her struggles with alcoholism. I highly recommend it, especially for anyone who knows someone with an addiction of some kind. Probably most of us do!

2.75 stars. This books started very well with Vargas describing her childhood and the panic attacks that plagued her. After that, the book pace slowed as it described her school years and career. I almost gave up on the book at that point, but I hung in there. The rest of the book describes her marriage and struggles with alcoholism. While the book was interesting, I felt like Vargas reported the details of her life without really exploring her internal struggles. I've read other memoirs that ex [...]

When the news came out that Elizabeth Vargas was an alcoholic and in rehab, I remember being like "Huh! But she's such a fancy and well put together news anchor" which is totally a dumb a-hole thing to say. She has some intense drinking stories. Multiple times in the book my only response was "Jesus Christ."She really emphasizes the link between her addiction and mental health issues. Not to excuse her alcohol use, but to explain the need to self-medicate and the eventual need to find healthy wa [...]

This first-person account of Elizabeth Vargas' battle with alcohol is well worth reading. She lays it all on the line - the pain, the anxiety, the guilt, the shame - telling her story honestly, sharing her "dirty little secret" with the world. It's a touching story, once that is played out thousands of times every day by alcoholics around the world. But, what makes this story a bit different is the fact that Vargas is a well-known news anchor for ABC who managed to hide her alcoholism addiction [...]

This is the autobiography of Elizabeth Vargas. I enjoyed this. It felt real and honest. It also felt well written. She talked about her anxiety and her addiction to alcohol. It was sad how desperate she was to keep this secret hush-hush. It didn't help with her recovery. What struck me the most was how positive she was when talking about others, especially those who caused her pain and heartache. She never unleashed back on to them in this book, and I'm glad. I always hate it when the finger poi [...]

Source: I own a copy of this book.Note: These are my personal opinions. I received no outside person comments or opinions.This was a very raw, emotional, and inspiring read for me. I too have an addiction to alcohol. When I am severely stressed or feel an immense amount of anxiety and panic, I will sometimes think after a particularly stressful day, "Man, I really need a drink."Vargas did not hold back. She is completely honest with herself and her struggle with alcoholism in this tell-all memoi [...]

Extraordinary!This is one of the best books I've ever read! It was honest and insightfuluching and I could almost feel the words on the page! I admire Ms. Vargas! I too have struggled with "demons" and have been reconnected with my Higher Power and am living life on life's terms! This book is a must read! Like Ms. Vargas saysif you're not struggling with alcoholism or addiction, you know someone who is!

A very touching story. I couldn't stop reading it. I've enjoyed watching Elizabeth Vargas on various news shows reporting stories. I never knew she had a problem with alcohol and anxiety. I'm glad she didn't lose all she had in life to alcohol. She lost her husband but she still had her job, her two boys, family and friends through all of it. This had to have been a very difficult story to tell. Thank you, Elizabeth for sharing your story.

Revealing!A story about alcoholism told with openness, honesty, and humility. One that another alcoholic can identify with and one that friends and families can learn about the disease. Hopefully it will educate people and help to take away the shame and guilt of alcoholism. Well written.

Powerful and RawGreat writing by Elizabeth as well as honesty. It makes one understand the destruction addiction creates. One of the greatest insights she stated that addiction is a piece of something which happened in one's life. That is how I perceived it and it makes sense to me.

So honest and heartbreaking.

Listened to on Audible. Excellent!

First off, I wish Elizabeth Vargas well in her recovery. If she used writing this book as an exercise to recognize her demons and make sense of it all, good for her. As for a reading experience, it’s not such a success. There is an uncomfortable surface dynamic to her narrative. The book reads like a crafted television feature story, full of oh wow moments but without the necessary ownership, depth, or backstory. The priorities of television seem to override most parts of her life, and the com [...]

What I loved about this story was the raw vulnerability of Elizabeth’s story - her struggle with alcoholism was eye-opening to me. There were parts of her story where I could see like struggles with loved ones and how helpless you can be as a support system when the addict (at whatever the poison) is not ready to recognize the disease. I even found myself getting mad at her by the end, not understanding the full weight of the disease. What was really powerful for me was seeing what I have spen [...]

I have always enjoyed watching Elizabeth Vargas. She has such an electric personality that draws me in.Elizabeth was interviewed by Diane Sawyer after writing this book. It was a great interview that led me to wanting to read the book. I felt like Elizabeth was telling me her life story over a cup of coffee. It was an easy and enjoyable read. Interesting to see the things that happen behind the camera and shows that no one is immune to anxiety or addiction. As a trauma/addiction therapist I was [...]