OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:06 PM – Monday, April 7, 2025
Vice President JD Vance publicly celebrated his mother’s decade of sobriety while at the White House on Friday.
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Vance’s mother, Beverly Aikins, was applauded and handed a medallion in the Roosevelt Room, while surrounded by friends and family — marking her decade-long recovery.
Vance recounted his mother’s struggle with heroin addiction in his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” as well as during his vice-presidential debate last October.
Aikins’ addiction issues reportedly began when she was working as a nurse. After taking a prescription pill for a headache, she enjoyed the feeling so much that she quickly started stealing stronger drugs from the hospital. Additionally, Aikins had been stealing drugs for other addicts as well.
“I sold drugs from the hospital I was working at, in particular morphine. I stole morphine,” she told the Washington Examiner. “I hated it. I hated myself. My whole identity was in being a nurse. I felt like that was my calling. I just thought the opportunity was gone.”
She eventually moved on to taking Percocet, and later, heroin.
“PERCOCET tablets are a Schedule II controlled substance. Oxycodone is a mu-agonist opioid with an abuse liability similar to morphine. Oxycodone, like morphine and other opioids used in analgesia, can be abused and is subject to criminal diversion,” according to the FDA.
Nevertheless, Vance’s mother eventually took initiative and began her journey to recovery in 2015 after moving into a sober living facility — following a period of living out of her car.
“I was raised in a working class family,” Vance stated during last October’s debate. “My mother required food assistance for periods of her life. My grandmother required social security help to raise me.”
“And she raised me in part because my own mother struggled with addiction for a big chunk of my early life,” he continued.
While speaking at Aikins’ 10-year sobriety ceremony in the White House, Vance emphasized how proud he was of his mother’s efforts to stay clean, despite the fact that his childhood years were negatively affected by her past decisions.
“I remember when I gave my RNC convention speech, which was the craziest thing, and I even said during the speech that we would have your 10-year medallion ceremony at the White House,” Vance stated.
“Well, here we are. And you made it, and we made it. And most importantly, you’re celebrating a very, very big milestone. And I’m just very proud of you,” he continued, tearing up while adding “I’m, I’m gonna try not to cry here.”
“When I think about everything you’ve accomplished over the last 10 years and the fact that when I was thinking about becoming a father, I didn’t know whether you would live long enough to have a relationship with my kids. And now here they are, almost 8, 5, and 3, and you’re the best grandmother that these kids could ever ask for,” Vance stated, fondly looking at his mother as their eyes teared up.
“It is really an amazing thing to watch. It is one of the great blessings of becoming a father, is that I’ve been able to see these kids develop the love and the affection for you and to see it in return. And that’s just an incredible blessing,” Vance stated.
Vance noted that his mother had always been the type of woman that anyone could rely on, that is, prior to her addiction struggles.
Aikins reportedly regained her nursing license a few years ago, and she now works to help others who struggle with addiction at a substance abuse treatment center.
“That’s what addiction took away. But that’s what recovery has given back, is that you are a person that others can rely on. And I know you’re an inspiration to a lot of people in the recovery and addiction community. So, uh, from the bottom of my heart and speaking for the whole family, we love you.”
She also delivered a speech at the event, sharing her own perspective of what it is like to defeat drug addiction.
“When I tell my story or give my lead, as we call it in the recovery community, I tell everybody I think like a drug addict, so I wish that I could put what made me change in pill form, but in all honesty, it was the loss of my family,” she stated.
“I hit rock bottom when my parents died. My brother and sister weren’t speaking to me. My kids weren’t speaking to me. I knew that I had to do something different. And that, you know, for this drug addict, is what saved, that’s what changed, that’s what saved my life,” Aikins continued.
“I love my family more than anything,” she added. “I pray a lot more, and hopefully, God gives me several more years to watch these guys grow up. I love you all. Thank you so much for being here. Now, let’s celebrate!”
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