If you’ve read “Hillbilly Elegy” or seen the movie — or if you’re familiar with Vice President JD Vance’s story in any way — you’re aware of the struggles that his mother, Beverly Aikins, has had with substance abuse. Her addiction loomed over so many areas of her life, but she has managed to triumph over it. She reached the ten-year milestone of sobriety at the beginning of this year.
Her 10th anniversary of sobriety fell on the day before the inauguration, which was also her birthday. She attended the inauguration and spoke at an event in Ohio the night before. In February, Navigating Addiction hosted a Zoom celebration of Aikin’s decade of sobriety.
“She has transformed her life and now works as a registered nurse at an addiction treatment center,” Navigating Addiction announced on Instagram. “Through her work, she is dedicated to supporting others on their path to recovery.”
At the Republican National Convention, Vance honored his mom, who was approaching 10 years of sobriety last summer. During his speech, he spoke about her struggles and celebrated her efforts to get clean and sober and stay there.
“Our movement is about single moms like mine who struggled with money and addiction but never gave up,” he said. “And I'm proud to say that tonight my mom is here, 10 years clean and sober. I love you, Mom.”
“And you know, Mom, I was thinking, it'll be 10 years officially in January of 2025, and if President Trump's okay with it, let's have the celebration in the White House,” he added.
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On April 4, Vance made good on his promise to celebrate his mom’s sobriety at the White House. With a slew of family and friends in attendance, the vice president gave his mom a medallion to honor 10 years of sobriety.
“Ms. Aikins, a nurse at an addiction recovery center in the Cincinnati area, devotes her life to her family and to helping Americans who are struggling with addiction. In a 2024 interview, Ms. Aikins said her message to people battling addiction is, ‘to reach out, to try to get help, and that recovery is hard, but it’s so worth it.’”
“I want people who are struggling with addiction or who have family members who are struggling with addiction to know that recovery is possible, and you get back so much more from recovery than you ever think you can get back,” Aikins told Salena Zito in October of last year.
Aikins is an inspiration to millions of Americans because of her ability to rise out of addiction, poverty, and hopelessness to serve and help others. Her story gets a massive spotlight just because her son is the vice president, but there are countless other stories of people who have escaped the cycle of addiction and risen above their struggles.
Alcoholics Anonymous has a decades-long track record of helping people live in recovery every day, and countless facilities help people with more intense addictions. I’ve seen many testimonies of people who have broken their chains through the Christian ministry Celebrate Recovery.
Overcoming substance abuse is possible, and it happens every day. People in recovery have to live that lifestyle every day, and Aikins is a stellar example of how people can escape addiction and live lives of service.
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