Fired, broken and sober: Former TV anchor Beth McDonough sharing journey in memoir

Former crime reporter Beth McDonough shares journey

Former TV crime reporter and anchor Beth McDonough is sharing her journey from the newsroom to recovery in a memoir titled "Standby." The book recounts McDonough’s decades-long battle with alcoholism, a disease that cost her the career she loved—and nearly everything else. FOX 5 Atlanta Digital's Jada White interview Beth about her story of survival, sobriety and self-reinvention.

ATLANTA - Beth McDonough once delivered breaking news from behind the anchor desk—now, she’s using her voice to deliver something even more powerful: a story of survival, sobriety, and self-reinvention.

The former TV crime reporter and anchor, known for her work at FOX affiliates in Philadelphia and Minnesota, is now sharing her personal journey in her new memoir, Standby. The book recounts McDonough’s decades-long battle with alcoholism, a disease that cost her the career she loved—and nearly everything else.

"I’ve seen the worst of the worst crimes and covered the worst things and what people can do to each other," McDonough said in an in-depth interview with FOX 5 Atlanta Digital. "So being a reporter, I’ve always been very curious and I love to interview people and talk to people." But off-camera, she was slowly unraveling. What began as after-hours drinks to "blow off steam" turned into blackout nights and, eventually, two DUIs that ended her television career.

McDonough traced her addiction back to a family history of alcoholism and trauma. Her grandmother and grandfather struggled with alcohol, and her older sister died from an overdose. "I was hardwired. It was in my family," she said. "And then my mother passed unexpectedly, I went through a breakup, and I was covering the 35W bridge collapse in Minnesota. All of that kind of rolled into one."

Her fall was very public. "The bosses said, ‘You put us on the map. You could have been here forever.’ But something powerful he said to me is, ‘You are no longer of use to us,’" she recalled. "That’s a gut punch."

After losing her job, her car, her license, and the support of many friends, McDonough hit rock bottom. With no one else to call, she reached out to a distant acquaintance to drive her to treatment—someone she barely knew, but who showed up when others didn’t. "Treatment just made a world of difference," she said.

Now 16 years sober, McDonough has rebuilt her life in southern Utah, where she’s embraced new paths as a wellness advocate, model, and content creator. She’s also passionate about breaking the stigma around addiction, especially for women. "The Journal of American Medical Association came out with a study… women absorb 30% more alcohol than men," she noted. "So women come into it at a disadvantage."

Her memoir, Standby, is both a reference to her broadcast roots and a personal mantra. "You look it up in the dictionary, and it says to be prepared and ready for whatever’s coming next," she said. "The worst part of your life doesn’t have to be the end of your story."

McDonough hopes the book will offer guidance for others battling their own demons. "Devastation doesn’t destroy you. It reveals who you are and you can rebuild," she said.

Standby will be available soon wherever books are sold, including Amazon, Google, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and her website BethMcDMedia.com.