Your strength is amazing, Jo. My grandson became addicted to heroin after several surgeries on his hand, after an overhead truck door had fallen on it. After 4 surgeries it still didn’t heal, the doctor wouldn’t give him more pain meds, so he tried heroin, thanks to a girl he had met. I never gave him money, but I made him welcome in my home. We talked about his addiction, and his efforts to get clean. Finally, he was arrested with his girlfriend’s minor son in his car, high and asleep in the driver’s seat. He spent three months in jail, and was forced to get clean. When he got out of jail, he dropped the girlfriend, and returned home.
That was four years ago. He met and got engaged to a girl who was very anti drugs. They are getting married the end of this month.
My willingness to talk and allow him to visit has brought us to a closeness we had not had before. I’m so proud of him, he has a great job as a machinist, and a nice apartment.
I’m so sorry for the way things turned out for you. Addiction affects everyone it touches, and it’s never easy to deal with.
Oct 1, 2023·edited Oct 1, 2023Liked by JoJoFromJerz
I'm typing this through tears. My family has gone through loved ones' addictions. Your post brought so much of it back to me, but I'm thankful for the lives lived and lost. And I'll never stop loving them. Thank you for sharing this with us.
I didn’t even realize I had written “vile”, and I checked for errors several times. I wonder if it wasn’t subconscious. Either way, apologies and if that was someone’s big takeaway… oh well.
Thank you for sharing this, Jo. You tell a story very well, even a sad story. I am so sorry for this pain in your life, but I am very proud of how you have dealt with it. You are an amazing lady and I hope you don’t mind if I refer to you as “friend”.
Yes, there is an addiction story in my life too. My slightly younger cousin (my dad’s brother’s son) became addicted in the late 70’s while I was away in college. He was a great hockey player in New Hampshire... until he wasn’t. I never knew the gory details because they lived far away, but I know my dad played a role of both enabler and hardliner. The addiction came in cycles but was never fully resolved as far as I know. My dad and his brother are gone now (my mom too) but I think my cousin is still alive. I need to find him and reach out to him before it’s too late.
The other storyline in both Joe and Hunter Biden’s life was the sad end to son Beau’s life. As you know, he succumbed to an incurable brain cancer known as glioblastoma. I can only imagine how this has impacted Hunter and I can say from personal experience that this disease is one of the cruelest and can easily destroy families. I will forever admire Joe for how he has conducted his life after tragedy struck multiple times (recall his first wife and daughter). I can tell you I want this man running our country... he has courage and empathy in spades.
Wow, Jo, another amazing story. I'm so sorry to read all the challenges you had in your family and the sad effect it has had on all of you. Tragedy, truly.
As for the political commentary, I've realized that to be a Republican who buys into all of the conservative orthodoxy is to either be somebody untouched by anything outside that world and to be someone too heartless to see how people can live different lives. Whether it is through just people being born different (LGBTQ), people looking different, people worshiping differently, people who have had medical challenges, or people who have been exposed to mental illness and/or addiction, we all should all have compassion for the way people are different and have live different lives. There's the occasional conservative (like Tim Allen, perhaps) who is conservative with the view that he got himself clean so so should everybody else. But still that's a limiting viewpoint in assuming that others can all follow the same path. And there's the occasional conservative who carves out an exception for a particular difference to which they have been exposed (like Dick Cheney) but to not be able to extrapolate that to other differences shows rigid thinking. Anyway, sharing stories like this is a good way to help the others realize that they are fortunate to not be touched by tragedy rather than thinking tragedy must always be someone's fault. 🤗
No one can understand unless they have an addict or alcoholic in their family. At its core it is a mental illness for those who struggle for their whole life. It doesn’t matter if they are clean or not. They are struggling. It’s hard to remember once they are clean for awhile. I think his parents are worried to death that he will slide back into addiction or hurt himself with the endless stress he must be going through right now.
So many of us share your story, I too lost my brother to addiction at age 16 and continued our tumultuous journey until his death at 56. Anyone who has walked in the shoes of someone who loved an addict knows the Joe Biden would never turn his back on his son. Thank you for reminding all of us.
I read this and the comments with tears in my eyes. I am amazed at all the survivors, just in this little group, of family addiction. I am one of the lucky ones. No one in my immediate family has had any addiction issues (other than "legal" ones like cigarettes. And in total honesty, I had my share of drug use back in the day. I thank the Gods for the gene I apparently have that lets me not get addicted. Not heroin or any other injection substance just your average college in the 70s stuff. Still. I have had points in my life where I've been down and I don't know, if I didn't have such a supportive family, maybe I would have fallen down that rabbit hole. I always think "there but by the grace of whomever go I"
I get SO upset at the way the republican party has taken advantage of Hunter's illness. It makes me so mad I want to scream until they stop. Guaranteed that some of them have secret or not so secret addicts in their families too. Remember that phone message they loved to play a while back? The one where you could hear the grief and lost in Joe's voice where he said "I love you pal"? That gets me every time. And they made FUN of him for it! Whenever they start on Hunter I worry about him. I worry that he will try to hurt himself for the pain he has caused his dad. I realize that's my projection, but I don't think I could live with people who are so cut off from humanity that they use a son's personal struggle for political gain. I hate that they are part of this country and apparently have a larger following than the title "Christian" would lead one to believe.
Jo, I can't even imagine being a child and being faced with what you were faced with. I wish the story had a better ending for you, no doubt what he witnessed over the years took a toll on him just like it did on you.
I admire you so much for sharing this terribly painful part of your life. You are some woman Ms. Jo!
I believe it’s the objective of certain Republicans to harass Hunter Biden back into addiction, and thereby undermine his father. But I also think our president is a tough old bird 🦅 who won’t be bested by the antics of some Fox News “host” or a congressperson such as Gosar or Greene, unworthy of their office. Hunter Biden for his part, having survived so much, is displaying a toughness of his own in fighting back in court against the ruthless depredation of his privacy. Thank you for this truthful and open story, Jo, which touched something in so many of us.
This is such an emotional and complicated thing, addiction. My family of origin has been deeply troubled by it and I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t been touched in some manner, directly or indirectly. It’s pain-filled and tragic. My family is scattered in the wind by it and I don’t anticipate any healing or closure in my lifetime. I thought at one time I wanted to be an addiction counselor but eventually realized it would only keep me mired in the pain and darkness. I could only fantasize about having such a loving and supportive father as Joe Biden. Or a mother like that, for that matter. But it’s not the cards I was dealt. I fought my own addiction demons and have been able to go through the journey without taking too many hostages. It has forced me to stay out of the past, as much as my mind wants to stay in it, and try staying focused on the present. Gratitude has been my lifeline. I wish you peace as you continue forth , Joanne. Your strength and compassion are truly awe-inspiring.
This is beyond my comprehension. The pictures it draws are nothing like anything I have had to deal with in my 72 years. Thank you for being you. The person who is brave enough to tell this story. And I am sorry to say that there are people who will lose respect for you because you used 'vile' when I think you meant 'vial'. There's probably a reason why they sound the same.
Saying it out loud is important for healing. Talking about our traumas whatever they may be.
And yes, as parents, we love our kids through it all. Biden is loving his son and unconditionally as we all should live our kids. Trump ignores that his own son is an addict because to him that's weakness. Trump fails to see the trauma he has caused to those around him because he doesn't have the capacity to love anyone.
Your boys will learn from you that dealing with one's trauma is strength, not weakness. They will thank you one day once the lesson sinks in fully.
Jo, your personal stories are heroic beyond words. Heroic in the sense that you are a brave young woman who is finding her footing in this world. You sharing your most intimate family experiences and your journey through them are remarkable and likely beneficial to those among us who might have difficulty with introspection. This essay is my second experience reading your very private thoughts and thought processes. I applaud your candor and your intestinal fortitude for sharing this very personal family experience. You are growing my dear, in leaps and bounds. And you ain’t seen nothing yet. 💙
Dear Jo, I cannot thank you enough for sharing this. Having become “an addict” myself and dragging myself through the shame and guilt. My story is of course, different, but the roots were trauma, and now after 13 years of sobriety, I am still finding out the “why” of it all. I read Hunter Biden’s memoir and I, too, only saw love. You inspire me on so many levels. 🩷
Your strength is amazing, Jo. My grandson became addicted to heroin after several surgeries on his hand, after an overhead truck door had fallen on it. After 4 surgeries it still didn’t heal, the doctor wouldn’t give him more pain meds, so he tried heroin, thanks to a girl he had met. I never gave him money, but I made him welcome in my home. We talked about his addiction, and his efforts to get clean. Finally, he was arrested with his girlfriend’s minor son in his car, high and asleep in the driver’s seat. He spent three months in jail, and was forced to get clean. When he got out of jail, he dropped the girlfriend, and returned home.
That was four years ago. He met and got engaged to a girl who was very anti drugs. They are getting married the end of this month.
My willingness to talk and allow him to visit has brought us to a closeness we had not had before. I’m so proud of him, he has a great job as a machinist, and a nice apartment.
I’m so sorry for the way things turned out for you. Addiction affects everyone it touches, and it’s never easy to deal with.
Thank you for sharing this!! And I am so glad he’s doing so well!! ❤️
How wonderful to read a happy ending story. I know they are out there.
I do know how fortunate my family is because we are getting our happy ending. I’m very sorry for those who haven’t or won’t.
I'm typing this through tears. My family has gone through loved ones' addictions. Your post brought so much of it back to me, but I'm thankful for the lives lived and lost. And I'll never stop loving them. Thank you for sharing this with us.
💞
I didn’t even realize I had written “vile”, and I checked for errors several times. I wonder if it wasn’t subconscious. Either way, apologies and if that was someone’s big takeaway… oh well.
You are a strong woman. Hugs for you, your children, and your sisters. Addiction is an illness. Addicts need help, not ridicule.
Thank you for sharing this, Jo. You tell a story very well, even a sad story. I am so sorry for this pain in your life, but I am very proud of how you have dealt with it. You are an amazing lady and I hope you don’t mind if I refer to you as “friend”.
Yes, there is an addiction story in my life too. My slightly younger cousin (my dad’s brother’s son) became addicted in the late 70’s while I was away in college. He was a great hockey player in New Hampshire... until he wasn’t. I never knew the gory details because they lived far away, but I know my dad played a role of both enabler and hardliner. The addiction came in cycles but was never fully resolved as far as I know. My dad and his brother are gone now (my mom too) but I think my cousin is still alive. I need to find him and reach out to him before it’s too late.
The other storyline in both Joe and Hunter Biden’s life was the sad end to son Beau’s life. As you know, he succumbed to an incurable brain cancer known as glioblastoma. I can only imagine how this has impacted Hunter and I can say from personal experience that this disease is one of the cruelest and can easily destroy families. I will forever admire Joe for how he has conducted his life after tragedy struck multiple times (recall his first wife and daughter). I can tell you I want this man running our country... he has courage and empathy in spades.
Enough tears for one night. God bless you.
Wow, Jo, another amazing story. I'm so sorry to read all the challenges you had in your family and the sad effect it has had on all of you. Tragedy, truly.
As for the political commentary, I've realized that to be a Republican who buys into all of the conservative orthodoxy is to either be somebody untouched by anything outside that world and to be someone too heartless to see how people can live different lives. Whether it is through just people being born different (LGBTQ), people looking different, people worshiping differently, people who have had medical challenges, or people who have been exposed to mental illness and/or addiction, we all should all have compassion for the way people are different and have live different lives. There's the occasional conservative (like Tim Allen, perhaps) who is conservative with the view that he got himself clean so so should everybody else. But still that's a limiting viewpoint in assuming that others can all follow the same path. And there's the occasional conservative who carves out an exception for a particular difference to which they have been exposed (like Dick Cheney) but to not be able to extrapolate that to other differences shows rigid thinking. Anyway, sharing stories like this is a good way to help the others realize that they are fortunate to not be touched by tragedy rather than thinking tragedy must always be someone's fault. 🤗
No one can understand unless they have an addict or alcoholic in their family. At its core it is a mental illness for those who struggle for their whole life. It doesn’t matter if they are clean or not. They are struggling. It’s hard to remember once they are clean for awhile. I think his parents are worried to death that he will slide back into addiction or hurt himself with the endless stress he must be going through right now.
So many of us share your story, I too lost my brother to addiction at age 16 and continued our tumultuous journey until his death at 56. Anyone who has walked in the shoes of someone who loved an addict knows the Joe Biden would never turn his back on his son. Thank you for reminding all of us.
I read this and the comments with tears in my eyes. I am amazed at all the survivors, just in this little group, of family addiction. I am one of the lucky ones. No one in my immediate family has had any addiction issues (other than "legal" ones like cigarettes. And in total honesty, I had my share of drug use back in the day. I thank the Gods for the gene I apparently have that lets me not get addicted. Not heroin or any other injection substance just your average college in the 70s stuff. Still. I have had points in my life where I've been down and I don't know, if I didn't have such a supportive family, maybe I would have fallen down that rabbit hole. I always think "there but by the grace of whomever go I"
I get SO upset at the way the republican party has taken advantage of Hunter's illness. It makes me so mad I want to scream until they stop. Guaranteed that some of them have secret or not so secret addicts in their families too. Remember that phone message they loved to play a while back? The one where you could hear the grief and lost in Joe's voice where he said "I love you pal"? That gets me every time. And they made FUN of him for it! Whenever they start on Hunter I worry about him. I worry that he will try to hurt himself for the pain he has caused his dad. I realize that's my projection, but I don't think I could live with people who are so cut off from humanity that they use a son's personal struggle for political gain. I hate that they are part of this country and apparently have a larger following than the title "Christian" would lead one to believe.
Jo, I can't even imagine being a child and being faced with what you were faced with. I wish the story had a better ending for you, no doubt what he witnessed over the years took a toll on him just like it did on you.
I admire you so much for sharing this terribly painful part of your life. You are some woman Ms. Jo!
I know right? I was a cokehead like Hunter back in the late 80s. Weekend Warrior 8 ball 🎱
Not. Touched. Since.
I believe it’s the objective of certain Republicans to harass Hunter Biden back into addiction, and thereby undermine his father. But I also think our president is a tough old bird 🦅 who won’t be bested by the antics of some Fox News “host” or a congressperson such as Gosar or Greene, unworthy of their office. Hunter Biden for his part, having survived so much, is displaying a toughness of his own in fighting back in court against the ruthless depredation of his privacy. Thank you for this truthful and open story, Jo, which touched something in so many of us.
This is such an emotional and complicated thing, addiction. My family of origin has been deeply troubled by it and I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t been touched in some manner, directly or indirectly. It’s pain-filled and tragic. My family is scattered in the wind by it and I don’t anticipate any healing or closure in my lifetime. I thought at one time I wanted to be an addiction counselor but eventually realized it would only keep me mired in the pain and darkness. I could only fantasize about having such a loving and supportive father as Joe Biden. Or a mother like that, for that matter. But it’s not the cards I was dealt. I fought my own addiction demons and have been able to go through the journey without taking too many hostages. It has forced me to stay out of the past, as much as my mind wants to stay in it, and try staying focused on the present. Gratitude has been my lifeline. I wish you peace as you continue forth , Joanne. Your strength and compassion are truly awe-inspiring.
This is beyond my comprehension. The pictures it draws are nothing like anything I have had to deal with in my 72 years. Thank you for being you. The person who is brave enough to tell this story. And I am sorry to say that there are people who will lose respect for you because you used 'vile' when I think you meant 'vial'. There's probably a reason why they sound the same.
Well done you. Sad but meaningful.
Saying it out loud is important for healing. Talking about our traumas whatever they may be.
And yes, as parents, we love our kids through it all. Biden is loving his son and unconditionally as we all should live our kids. Trump ignores that his own son is an addict because to him that's weakness. Trump fails to see the trauma he has caused to those around him because he doesn't have the capacity to love anyone.
Your boys will learn from you that dealing with one's trauma is strength, not weakness. They will thank you one day once the lesson sinks in fully.
i subscribed so I can read your articles. Sadly, most familys are dealing with this in some fashion. Thank you fpr sharing.
Jo, your personal stories are heroic beyond words. Heroic in the sense that you are a brave young woman who is finding her footing in this world. You sharing your most intimate family experiences and your journey through them are remarkable and likely beneficial to those among us who might have difficulty with introspection. This essay is my second experience reading your very private thoughts and thought processes. I applaud your candor and your intestinal fortitude for sharing this very personal family experience. You are growing my dear, in leaps and bounds. And you ain’t seen nothing yet. 💙
Dear Jo, I cannot thank you enough for sharing this. Having become “an addict” myself and dragging myself through the shame and guilt. My story is of course, different, but the roots were trauma, and now after 13 years of sobriety, I am still finding out the “why” of it all. I read Hunter Biden’s memoir and I, too, only saw love. You inspire me on so many levels. 🩷