ROCKCASTLE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – Beverly Aikins, the mother of Vice President J.D. Vance, served as the keynote speaker for the Unite Community Celebration on Thursday evening.
Unite is an organization that raises awareness about drug and alcohol addiction. The event took place at Rockcastle County High School.
Aikins, who has been sober for more than 10 years, gave a candid account of her addiction. Many first heard her story through her son’s bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
“I took Vicodin. I was younger and I was prettier. I had more energy. I knew whatever was in that little pill I had to have more of, so as you can imagine, I began getting a lot of headaches,” Aikins said. “That’s how it started.”
Aikins said the biggest danger is believing that addiction can’t happen to you. She warned the risk can run in families.
“Just people in general, we think we are invisible and we think that it’s not going to happen to us,” Aikins said. “And since being in recovery, I’ve learned that if you have a parent or grandparent that suffers from addiction, then you are 60% more likely to suffer from addiction yourself.”
She said when substance use is normalized at home, the risk increases.
“You know they see their parents drinking or maybe they see their parents using and they think that it’s okay. And it’s not,” Aikins said. “And I think the younger the better. I like what they said, starting in the fourth grade. I think that’s about the right age.”
People in recovery, parents and students attended the event.
Sydney Woods, a student, said she was excited to hear Aikins’ story.
“At first, I was like, wait actually, I said isn’t that the vice president’s mom? But I think it is super cool that she is here. And I am super excited to hear her story,” Woods said.
Aikins said she hopes young people understand that addiction doesn’t discriminate.
“Well, I hope that they take away I’m the vice president’s mom and even the vice president’s mom can have a drug addiction,” Aikins said.
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