ABC News anchor Elizabeth Vargas has gone public with her decision to enter rehab for alcohol dependence.
- "I realized I was becoming increasingly dependent on alcohol," Vargas says
- "I will deal with this challenge a day at a time," the ABC anchor says
- Vargas hosts ABC News specials and the network's "20/20" program
(CNN) -- ABC News anchor Elizabeth Vargas has gone public with her decision to enter rehab for alcohol dependence, hoping it will give others "the courage to seek help."
"Like so many people, I am dealing with addiction," Vargas said in a statement to CNN Wednesday. "I realized I was becoming increasingly dependent on alcohol. I am in treatment and am so thankful for the love and support of my family, friends and colleagues at ABC News."
She did not disclose when she entered the rehab facility or where it is. The last message on her Twitter account was posted on October 18.
"Like so many others, I will deal with this challenge a day at a time," Vargas said. "If coming forward today gives one other person the courage to seek help, I'm grateful."
There are some celebs who are well known for problems with drugs and alcohol. Stars like Robert Downey, seen here after an arrest in 2001 for allegedly being under the influence of a controlled substance, and Lindsay Lohan, seen here in 2010 after she received a 90-day jail sentence for the 2007 no-contest plea to drug and alcohol charges. But still others flew under the radar with their issues...Jada Pinkett-Smith reflected on her Facebook page in September 2013 that addictions plagued her in her younger years. "I had many addictions, of several kinds, to deal with my life issues," she said. Zac Efron quietly completed a rehab program in 2013 without the media being any wiser. When he re-appeared on the red carpet for the movie "Parkland" at the Toronto International Film Festival, sources close to the actor told E! News and People magazine that he was feeling healthy and better than ever having successfully completed his stay in the spring. "Glee" star Cory Monteith was found dead at a hotel in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday, July 13. While the cause of death was not immediately apparent, police have ruled out the possibility of foul play. Monteith had been public about his struggle with addiction and checked into a rehab facility in late March. He previously told Parade magazine that he started using drugs at 13 and had entered rehab by 19. Matthew Perry has previously struggled with an addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol and recently landed on the cover of People magazine to discuss his road to sobriety. While he was on "Friends," he said, "it would seem like I had it all. It was actually a very lonely time for me because I was suffering from alcoholism.""Sex and the City" actress Kristin Davis told Health magazine in 2008 that unlike her cocktail loving character Charlotte York, she is a recovering alcoholic. The 48-year-old admitted that she was drinking so much, she didn't think she'd live past 30.Ben Affleck surprised friends when he checked into rehab for alcohol abuse in 2001, People magazine reported. Jamie Lee Curtis has reportedly said she was once so addicted to prescription pain medicine that she stole some from a relative to help feed the addiction.Jodie Sweetin, who played innocent Stephanie Tanner on "Full House," documented her drug problems in her memoir "unSweetined." A low point, she said, was using cocaine, meth and ecstasy while on tour to discuss her sobriety.There have been questions as to whether or not Bob Dylan was telling the truth when he reportedly told a journalist in 1966 that he had kicked a $25-a-day heroin habit, but, according to Rolling Stone, he had a period during his 1966 tour where he used "huge amounts" of amphetamines. In 2012, Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie told Oprah that her drug use proceeded from ecstasy to crystal meth. She became so paranoid she thought the FBI and SWAT teams were following her before she successfully sought treatment.She was known for her wholesome role as Laura Ingalls on the television series "Little House on the Prairie," but at her worst Melissa Gilbert was covering up feelings of sadness by drinking up to more than two bottles of wine a night, the actress told More magazine."Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe told GQ magazine that he had his last drink in 2010. "There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person's lifestyle that really isn't suited to me."A year before People magazine reported that the actress checked into a substance abuse facility in 2008, Eva Mendes told reporters she "wasn't comfortable at all" and needed a cocktail to film a sex scene in 2007's "We Own the Night."In 2004, a then 19-year-old Kelly Osbourne reportedly entered rehab for an addiction to pain killers. "The amount of pills that was found in her bag was astounding," her father Ozzy said.Samuel L. Jackson was reportedly able to portray crack addict Gator in "Jungle Fever" so authentically because of his own past struggles with drugs and alcohol. He landed the breakout role two weeks after leaving rehab.Kristen Johnston talked about her addiction to drugs and alcohol in her 2012 memoir "Guts" and admitted she was depressed during her time on "3rd Rock From the Sun." "And you're not supposed to be," she said. "You can't tell anybody, 'I'm so bummed you gave me an Emmy.' You can't be sad when you're being celebrated. So it was a big conflict and there's no shrink that can understand it."Actress Kelly Preston has said she gave up drugs and alcohol to be a better mother to her kids and better wife to John Travolta. "I don't drink anymore. I don't smoke anymore. I don't do drugs anymore. All of those come with an 'anymore.' I used to do everything and a lot of everything," she said.Jane Lynch wrote about her addictions to alcohol and cough syrup in her memoir "Happy Accidents." She told Access Hollywood in 2013 that she has been sober for 21 years.Sir Elton John told USA Today that he swore off drugs and alcohol in 1990. He said, "If I ever find myself in a situation where there are drugs, I can smell the cocaine. I can feel it in the back of my throat, that horrible feeling of taking the first hit of cocaine. And I leave."Country star Tim McGraw said in an interview in 2013 that he replaced drinking whiskey with working out to clean his life up.For those who may not remember because she has so completely turned herself around, Drew Barrymore entered rehab at the tender age of 13. Most fans were unaware that the then beloved child star partied so hard. She chronicled her early struggles in her memoir "Little Girl Lost."It was years after Meredith Baxter portrayed one of America's favorite moms, Elyse Keaton on "Family Ties," that she revealed that she is a recovering alcoholic. Backstreet Boys member A.J. McLean last checked into rehab in 2011. He had previously been treated for depression, anxiety and excessive alcohol consumption.Country star and "American Idol" judge Keith Urban told Oprah in 2010 that his wife Nicole Kidman and several close friends staged an intervention to help him overcome his addiction to cocaine and alcohol. 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Vargas, 51, hosts ABC News specials and the network's "20/20" program.
An ABC News spokesman said the network is "proud of the steps Elizabeth has taken and are pulling for her recovery."
"We look forward to having her back home at ABC News where she has done so much distinguished work over the years," Jeffrey Schneider said. "Elizabeth is a member of our family and we will support her in every way we can."
CNN's Rande Iaboni contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/06/showbiz/elizabeth-vargas-rehab/