Joe Biden has spent most of his life in the political spotlight, but behind him, his son Hunter was stuck in the darkness that is addiction and struggling to get out of its shadows.
Hunter Biden’s Addiction
Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, has been battling addiction for many years. He has admitted that his struggles with alcohol began as early as high school and problems with cocaine came later in college. Like many others battling substance use, Hunter Biden fell victim to the vicious cycle of treatment and relapse. He went in and out of several addiction rehabs as he tried without success to find lasting sobriety. After going to rehab in 2003, he was sober until 2010 when he fell off the wagon during a business trip. Recently after, he checked into rehab and got sober once more, but in 2014, he was discharged from the Navy after failing a drug test because of cocaine. Also in 2015, he began using again after his brother Beau’s death and struggled to stop. He is now sober once more and sharing his ongoing struggles with a new book.
Beautiful Things
While Hunter Biden’s addiction and recovery have been well-publicized over the years and sometimes even used in political attacks, Beautiful Things is his memoir that provides an honest account of these struggles from his own point of view. Along with retelling the ups and downs of his recovery journey, Hunter Biden’s memoir is said to look at the Biden family outside of just politics including the tragedies they have faced and how that relates to his addiction. The title itself refers to a saying between Hunter and Beau Biden, Joe Biden’s late son who died of brain cancer in 2015, that focused on cherishing the important things in life even in the wake of tragedy like Beau’s cancer diagnosis. Cowritten by journalist and author Drew Jubera, Beautiful Things is set to be released on April 6th.
Joe Biden Reacts to Son’s Memoir
When asked about Hunter Biden’s book in an interview with CBS news, Joe Biden reacted as many parents in a similar situation would. He was proud of his son and emotional about how they got to this point. At one point in the interview, he claimed that “my boy is back” and “it gave me hope reading it.” Like many people, President Joe Biden has watched a loved one battle addiction and struggle to get clean. He understands firsthand that addiction is a family disease and loved ones are often dragged along for the ride. He even stated in the interview that “You know, I’ll bet there’s not a family you know that doesn’t have somebody in the family that had a drug problem or an alcohol problem.” While Joe Biden’s son appears to have found lasting sobriety, many families are still stuck on the emotional rollercoaster that is addiction without any end in sight. If you have a loved one who is struggling with substance use, we want to be here for you and your family. At Vertava Health, we offer a variety of treatment programs to help people in different stages of recovery and addiction work toward lasting sobriety. We also offer family addiction counseling to help your entire family move forward so that you can all live out your best futures. Contact us today to learn more and to start the healing process.
