Addiction and its consequences seem to be regular features in the news lately. But why should you care about Hunter Biden’s addiction? What significance does J.D. Vance’s mother’s recovery have to you? The impact of addiction on the lives of politicians and their families is more relevant than you might imagine.
This NJRC article looks at Hunter Biden’s battle with addiction and the significance that substance abuse in political families can have for the rest of us.
Hunter Biden’s Addiction Story in Summary
President Joe Biden’s second son, Hunter, has been fairly open about his struggles with cocaine and alcohol abuse. His memoir, “Beautiful Things,” offers some gritty accounts of his addiction to alcohol and cocaine and numerous stints in drug treatment programs.
Despite being born into a powerful political family, Hunter Biden’s story reads much like the story of anyone else with a substance use disorder. A series of defeats and victories punctuated by painful life lessons. It shows us that no person and no family is immune to the ravages of substance use disorders.
Born into Tragedy:
Hunter Biden was born in 1970 when his father was on the threshold of his political career. His mother and sister were killed in a tragic car accident in 1972, throwing the family into trauma and despair.
Hunter’s Addiction First Appears:
Hunter’s battle with substance abuse began in his early adult years when he was discharged from the Navy Reserve after a positive drug test.
Addiction Treatment, Relapse, and Chaos:
Hunter Biden entered drug detox, behavior modification therapy, and addiction treatment many times throughout his adult life. He experienced periods of successful sobriety broken up by harrowing moments when he lived with his drug dealers and went through various traumatic experiences, per his memoir.
Tragedy Revisits the Biden Family:
The death of Hunter’s brother, Beau, from brain cancer in 2015 sent him into a downward spiral of alcohol abuse. His binge drinking became so severe that his father, Joe, then, towards the end of his second term as Vice President, personally intervened to help him get sober.
Relapse in Late 2016:
In late 2016, Hunter Biden was in the depths of his addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol and descending rapidly. This eventually led to another family intervention headed by his father, Joe Biden.
Legal Woes in 2018:
Following another relapse, Hunter Biden purchased a handgun from a licensed firearms seller, which meant lying on the ATF’s Form 4473 by claiming he was not addicted to any drugs. This decision would eventually result in his federal felony convictions and the legal morass in which he finds himself today.
Hunter Biden Pleads Guilty to 9 Charges in Tax Evasion Case:
On Thursday, September 5, 2024, Hunter Biden surprised everyone by submitting a guilty plea in his tax evasion case. His sentencing is set for December 16th. Biden faces a potential maximum sentence of up to 17 years in prison, though few believe he will be hit with the maximum penalty. To his credit, he took full responsibility for his actions in a public statement after his court appearance.
Hunter Biden’s Present-Day Recovery:
Hunter attended a substance use disorder treatment program again somewhere in between 2018 and 2020. He began writing his memoir, ‘Beautiful Things” after this
The Broader Effects of Hunter Biden’s Addiction and Recovery
Like it or not, what happens in the lives of celebrities, politicians, and their families has an outsized impact on culture. But, believe it or not, this can be a positive. New Jersey and the rest of the United States are still in the throes of an addiction crisis. Despite the semi-successful lawsuit against the maker of OxyContin, which freed up funds for state substance abuse and overdose prevention efforts —- the war is far from over.
We need all the help we can get in battling addiction. So when a celebrity like Matthew Perry or a politician or a politician’s family member like Hunter Biden or J.D. Vance’s mother, Beverly, has personal experience with addiction — it raises awareness.
Awareness is everything when it comes to fighting any long-term war. The general public is fickle. They have shorter attention spans than ever. So, it takes everything we’ve got available to keep addiction in the spotlight. Personal stories like Hunter Biden’s often carry more weight than dry tables of grim overdose statistics and data points that illustrate the problem but fail to humanize it.
How the addiction of Hunter Biden and other well-known figures affects the recovery world:
- Raising Awareness: High-profile individuals like Matthew Perry and Hunter Biden raise awareness about addiction in the general public. This helps people become more aware that help is available and that recovery works. It also helps increase support for volunteer efforts and fundraising for recovery-related charities.
- Lends People with Addiction a Voice: When famous people write memoirs or talk about addiction and recovery, they help amplify the voices of the millions of other recovery people without the advantage of a spotlight and platform.
- Helps Recoverying People Find Esteem: When you see that a person with plenty of privilege and advantages in life succumbed to addiction —- it makes it clear that you’re not just unlucky. Addiction can impact any family, anywhere. It doesn’t make you a bad person or “less than.” It simply makes you human.
- Brings Addiction and Recovery into Statehouses and Congress: Politicians with family members who have suffered from addiction are far more likely to author legislation that helps increase access to substance abuse treatment. They are also more likely to support legislation like The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), which directly help people with substance use disorders find recovery.
Beat Addiction and Build Sobriety with Our Help
NJRC is one of the most trusted drug and alcohol treatment centers in the Northeastern U.S. We earned our reputation by not only providing top-notch addiction care in New Jersey, but by spreading awareness about addiction —- and the solution, which we call recovery.
Whether it’s a politician’s son sharing his story or a speaker at a local NA meeting, everyone has a part to play in spreading the message.
No matter where you are, it’s never too late to get help and change direction. If you are watching someone you love spiraling downward in addiction and you feel powerless —- we’re here to help. Let’s get started: (877) 790-5873
