Elizabeth Vargas Tells Good Morning America About Her Struggle With Alcoholism [Video]

Elizabeth Vargas recently opened up about her struggle with alcoholism during a recent interview with George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America.

The 20/20 anchor entered a rehabilitation facility last year to seek help with her alcohol addiction. Now that she’s completed her treatment, Vargas is ready to open up about her struggles. During her appearance on the morning news program, she discussed how difficult it was to keep the secret from friends and family.

Although she covered segments about drinking and alcoholism on 20/20, Elizabeth Vargas said she couldn’t admit to her own problems with alcohol. She added that her history with panic attacks and anxiety forced her to look for answers in a bottle.

“I dealt with that anxiety, and with the stress that the anxiety brought, by starting to drink. I started thinking, ‘Well, you know, I’ll only drink, you know, on weekends. 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,'” she explained.

Elizabeth Vargas said that her husband, singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, helped her come to terms with the problem. Cohn told his wife that she had a serious problem and needed to address it accordingly. Although she was angry when he referred to her as an alcoholic, Vargas admitted that he was correct in his assessment.

“I should’ve realized it was a problem way back when Zachary, my oldest son, was born. And he used to call my nightly glass of wine ‘mommy’s juice.’ You know, and I thought that was hysterical. It didn’t occur to me that that was a problem,” Vargas said.

While her treatment at the rehab facility is complete, Elizabeth Vargas is still getting help through Alcoholics Anonymous. When asked if she still has trouble staying away from alcohol, Vargas admitted that she continues to feel the urge to take a drink.

She added, “[I’m] learning to accept that I’m human, that there’s nothing wrong with failing, that there’s nothing wrong with feeling anxiety.”

The Inquisitr previously reported that the folks at ABC had nothing but support for Elizabeth Vargas while she sought treatment for her struggle with alcoholism.

“We proud of the steps Elizabeth has taken and are pulling for her recovery. We look forward to having her back home… where she has done so much distinguished work over the years. Elizabeth is a member of our family,” network spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said in a statement on the matter last year.

Did you catch Elizabeth Vargas during her interview with Good Morning America?

[Image via Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com]