ABC News anchor Elizabeth Vargas returns to rehab for alcohol dependency
- The '20/20' anchor says she is committed to battling the disease
- Vargas, 51, apologized for letting down her family and co-workers
ABC News reporter Elizabeth Vargas has returned to a recovery center to be treated for alcohol dependency.
The '20/20' anchor said in an emailed statement Sunday that she checked into a facility this weekend while on vacation.
'As so many other recovering alcoholics know, overcoming the disease can be a long and incredibly difficult process,' Vargas, 51, told Page Six.
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ABC News reporter Elizabeth Vargas, who anchors '20/20', has returned to a recovery center to be treated for alcohol dependency
'I'M AN ALCOHOLIC:' Vargas opens up to George Stephanopoulos
Elizabeth Vargas appeared on 'Good Morning America' in January to publicly discuss for the first time her addiction to alcohol, which she had been keeping a secret for many years.
'I am an alcoholic,' Vargas told George Stephanopoulos. 'It took me a long time to admit that to myself. It took me a long time to admit it to my family, but I am.'
‘You become so isolated with the secret and so lonely, because you can’t tell anyone what’s happening,’ she explained.
‘I started thinking “Well, you know, I’ll only drink, you know, on weekends,” she said with a laugh. ‘I’ll only drink, you know, two glasses of wine a night. I won’t drink on nights before I have to get up and do “Good Morning America.” But those deals never work.’
Vargas used wine to treat her anxiety and deal with the stresses of her work.
‘That’s exhausting, to live like that. And it becomes very easy to think “I deserve this glass of wine. I’m so stressed out …,”’ she said.
When Vargas finally decided to enter rehab, she and her husband told their sons that she was suffering from an alcohol allergy.
‘I didn’t want to use the word “disease” with them, even though that’s how it’s classified by the medical profession,’ she said. ‘It’s too scary, you know, the connotation for them is disease is something deadly.’
Vargas admitted that even now it is hard for her not to drink, but she has been relying on prayers, meditation and a great support system to conquer her urges triggered by stress.
‘There are lots of people who feel a lot of stress,’ she said. ‘Not everybody turns to a glass of wine or three like I did, or four, like I did on some occasions. What I learned to do when I was away was to feel the feelings.’
She concluded: 'Alcohol for me is no longer an option.'
She says she's committed to battling the disease and apologized for letting down her family and co-workers.
'I feel I have let myself, my co-workers and most importantly my family down and for that I am ashamed and sorry,' she added.
The network said in a statement that it supports Vargas and looks forward to having her return to ABC News.
'Nothing is more important than Elizabeth’s health and well-being and we stand squarely behind her,' ABC spokeswoman Heather Riley told Page Six.
'Our thoughts are with Elizabeth and her family and we look forward to having her back at ABC News when she feels ready to return.'
Vargas announced in November 2013 that she was in rehab.
She acknowledged in an interview that aired in January on 'Good Morning America' that she was an alcoholic and it took years for her to admit it.
She said she had suffered panic attacks since she was a child and dealt with the stress by drinking.
Vargas is married to Grammy Award-winning musician Marc Cohn, best known for his song Walking In Memphis, and the couple have two sons, 10-year-old Zachary and seven-year-old Samuel.
Vargas is also stepmother to Maxwell and Emily, Cohn's children from his first marriage.
In 2005, Cohn was shot in the head during a carjacking attempt in Denver, Colorado.
The musican survived and made a full recovery, but the traumatic event has left its mark on their family.
'Long
after the physical wounds are healed, I think my husband's going to
really be struggling with the psychological effects of what happened,'
Vargas said in an ABC News interview.
Vargas is a well-respected television journalist, getting her start at Chicago's WBBM before joining NBC News in 1993 as a correspondent for Dateline.
She was named co-anchor alongside David Muir of ABC's investigative news program 20/20 in 2004.
The New Jersey native won an Emmy in 1999 for her coverage of the Elian Gonzalez immigration case.
Vargas smiles during a taping of 'Good Morning America' with her sons, Zachary and Samuel Cohn
ABC News said it supports Vargas and wants to have the anchor back on air when she feels ready
Vargas' husband, Cohn, was the only one who knew about her struggles with alcohol, and when he finally confronted her, the ABC anchor recalled feeling 'really angry' while acknowledging that he was right.
However, it took her a long time to seek treatment because Vargas said she did not want to feel like a failure and was still able to function in her daily life.
Vargas recalled that her ‘aha' moment came one day when she arrived at work to film a '20/20' segment and realized that she was too drunk to do it.
Vargas stands alongside co-hosts Dan Harris and Josh Elliott while taping 'Good Morning America'
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