Vallejo's CC Sabathia Opens Up About Addiction, Recovery In New Book
VALLEJO (CBS News) -- CC Sabathia's left arm has taken him from the streets of Vallejo to the mound at Yankee Stadium. One of the most dominating pitchers of his generation, Sabathia is a six-time All-Star, Cy Young Award Winner and ace of the 2009 World Series Champion New York Yankees. But his on-the-field success came with off-the-field heartbreak.
Sabathia lost his dad and a beloved cousin during his playing career, while his addiction to alcohol grew. In the opening lines of his new book "Till the End," Sabathia called himself a "weird alcoholic."
"I would pitch, and then the next three days, I would drink. So the day after, right after I came out of the game, I would need a drink and would drink the next three days, and I would take two days off, pitch and do it all over again," Sabathia told "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King. "So I kind of had a routine where I would normalize drinking for three days, like a bender, and would detox myself, be able to pitch — and do it all over again."
In one of the more jaw-dropping moments outlined in the book, Sabathia described waking up naked at a Jay-Z party and discussed how he wet the bed on his wedding night. Sabathia is able to talk candidly about those dark times, with no shame.
