Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction Paperback – September 12, 2017

Elizabeth Vargas has been a favorite journalist of mine for years. I've always thought she was so elegant, classy, and well spoken with just a hint of vulnerability. I've followed a lot of the stories she's reported on and always look forward to seeing her when I tune into 20/20.I was quite shocked to learn in 2014 that she was struggling with alcohol addiction and was in rehab. I was tuning into a 20/20 episode when her colleague announced it on air as he gave her words of encouragement and support from him and others from ABC. I was really taken aback. Elizabeth always seemed so poised and "together". I just really could not reconcile this addiction with the elegant women I tune into every Friday night.I have eagerly awaited this book since her interview with Diane Sawyer on Friday, Sept. 9th. I pre-ordered it on amazon. Only had to wait three days and started reading it at about 9:15 pm on Monday night.I found her story to be fascinating. She is open and honest about her lifetime struggle with anxiety. She used alcohol to ease that anxiety in her later years. It worked at first, but later, just made the problem worse, as it always does.She is honest and very candid. I was rooting for her the whole time I was reading and still am! What a lovely woman. I wish her all the best!Highly recommend this book!

Inspiring story. Elizabeth has told my story too, and that of so many alcoholic mothers. The shame, guilt, remorse are what leads to our next drink. I suffer from anxiety and depression and have for most of my life. I want to embrace Elizabeth and tell her "to keep coming back..." Thank you for a wonderful share.

Just like the medium of facebook, this audio set is an obnoxious gluttony of excessive self promotion. Goes on and on about her life and the me, me, me syndrome and really speaks very very little of anxiety or alcoholism, other than we now know she experiences anxiety and drinks to self sooth. How was this supposed to help anyone. This was never created nor designed to help anyone. The tone, verbage , and story is all about her life achievements. I threw it in the garbage and you owe me an apology.

As a person struggling with extreme anxiety I felt Elizabeth gave an honest and heartbreaking description of how anxiety can effect life. Her story of addiction was heartfelt. I truly wish her the best.

I really enjoyed Between Breaths. I thought Elizabeth Vargas did an excellent job explaining the root cause of her alcohol problem and taking the reader back to her childhood days where these problems first manifested themselves. I was very impressed that Ms. Vargas did not take this opportunity to write a 'tell all' that revealed other peoples problems. She does not name names, even though she knows we can all go Google this information. I pray that each day Ms. Vargas finds the strength and courage she needs to battle her disease. I pray that in the years to come her sons will be blessed with love and wisdom and that they share their forgiveness with their Mom and I hope that she will be able to accept it when it is given. The book is an excellent read. It is enlightening and entertaining. It's honest and real.

I've always admired Elizabeth's work on ABC and would have never guessed she had anxiety hiding in the background. She was always poised, professional and a delight to follow. I absolutely loved this book and the raw honestly she offered in sharing her story. It truly is a disease and those not affected would never understand the power of the drink. Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your personal story and how hard it was to overcome this disease. You will certainly help many others gain the courage to get the help they need and deserve to be well again.

I have always admired Ms Vargas .She is great on camera, and beautiful in a "girl next door" way .I gave the book 3 stars after a lot of thought. I would describe it as tantalizingly short on details. She glosses over most of it, just giving us a few snippets here and there, almost requiring us to read between the lines. As several reviewers noted, a glass or two of wine now and then, and suddenly she is almost dead from alcohol poisoning? In truth it had to be a long progression. For example, she notes that, before she was even married, on the morning of September 11, 2001, she woke up badly hungover. Having spent the previous evening socializing and drinking with her fiancé and parents in a way that seemed normal to her at the time. In those early days she could shrug it off, drink Gatorade and go to the gym. The first few years after she was married, when her husband asked her to drink less, she did. Then they grew apart through various circumstances and things went downhill pretty quickly. She started going to bars alone, pretending to talk to someone on the phone who was "on their way", ie she wasn't really "drinking alone". She evidently started doing more and more desperate things, but there isn't much detail here. Again, without a lot of detail, it sounds like family members forced her into treatment several times until it finally stuck..We come to understand that anyone can become alcoholic. Elizabeth writes that she actually told her employers she was struggling with addictions to alcohol and Ambien, as though the prescription drug made the whole thing more lady-like. Alcoholism can happen to people who fail in life and drown their sorrows, and it can happen to folks who have gotten everything they have ever wanted, and still have trouble dealing with it all.The message of the book is that addiction is unpredictable, and not related to one's intelligence or love of family. Certainly, having an anxiety disorder can make one more vulnerable.With regards to her husband, I maintain he is a stand -up guy. Several reviewers have bashed him and I disagree. It isn't easy, both being in the public eye, but one person is much more successful. Also, when you are married, it isn't "my money" and "your money", it's "our money", something that many people are apparently surprised to realize all of a sudden when divorce is contemplated. His career was mostly on the wane when they got together, and she knew he had to pay his ex-wife child support, so the financial constraint was there from the beginning. No doubt, he put up with quite a bit over the years, very little of which she actually wrote about, and the addiction naturally had a devastating effect on their relationship. By the time he actually left , she had already tried rehab several times and there was no guarantee it would ever take. I just hope they are civil for the sake of the kidsI applaud her writing this book, although the fact of her addiction was leaked against her will a couple of years ago, so it hasn't been a secret. Perhaps there can be a follow up book in 5 years with more details on her career and her on-going recovery.

I really enjoyed this book. She was so honest in this book and put her heart out there to show the public how hard addiction is to stop. And how she ended losing so much before she could stop. I suffer from anxiety and understand some of what she feels.

I'm nearly finished reading her book and all I can say is wow, people will always judge a situation they have never been in. I can't help but feel that she has battled similar issues to myself I feel like truly she felt alone and her husband didn't really care and her unhappiness lead to her addiction I've battled with alcoholism for 3 years unfortunately I'm not as blessed as Elizabeth with a good career and I struggle dismally financially I have nobody around me that cares and I used to go through stages of secret drinking but my partner wouldn't even care to realise how much I was drinking, we all have a vice in this life and it makes me angry when I hear people who have never suffered with a battle with drinking but they battle with other addictions i.e: sugar and other bad food. Those people never have the right to judge those who use drinking as their vice as what they are doing is just as bad. I honestly have the upmost respect for Elizabeth and I truly wish her all the best in staying sober.

Very honest account of how addiction takes hold of a persons life no matter what background or status they have in life.

I really felt for the struggles that Elizabeth went through. This book was well written and seemed very honest. Well worth the read.

A very good read. A page turner.. It amazes me how strong people can be in overcoming addiction.

This is a stellar book. I loved it for its honesty and reflection about panic disorders, childhood, relationships and addiction. A must-read.

This book was excellent. It kept me interested from beginning to end. Elizabeth Vargas presented her story simply and honestly. It was a very thought -provoking book and I commend Elizabeth for writing it.

Painstakingly honest. A REAL book to wake up the addicts in this world... a MUST READ for those struggling with alcohol addiction. This book may just give you some of the answers that you have been looking for that will help you walk the path to recovery, just like the author is doing now.....

Adore, solo que el ingles no era correcto, no se si la traducción esta bien realizadaElizabeth eres una guerrera y me identifico 200%

I loved this book!! I have watched and respected Elizabeth throughout her career! Thank you for sharing your journey and inspiring others to be strong enough to take control of their lives. I miss seeing Elizabeth on 20/20.

very good story. it was very interesting for the fact that she went through all of this and came out alright on the other side. good for her.

Very nice book of an anchor who describes her experience of coming out of alcohol abuse

Honest and heartbreaking, Elizabeth Vargas tells her story of alcoholism. I have always watched her on 20/20, I never would have guessed that she suffered from anxiety...

i knew everything from watching the interview. lacks detail, emotions and subtance. i was under the impression that i was reading a book-long abstract

Such a compelling and generous story. I learned so much about addiction to alcohol and this talented and brave woman who fought to get her life back.

Great book. You will enjoy it