“Over four years ago, I chose life over the slow strangle-death grip of addiction, which in my case consisted each day of a bottle of vodka and as many hits on a crack pipe as possible. I am prouder of that choice and of my recovery than anything I’ve ever done,” Hunter Biden writes in a column for @usatodayopinion. __________ My experience is not a unique one. At least 20 million Americans today suffer from substance abuse disorder. I don’t know a family that hasn’t been impacted in some way by addiction. What is distinct about my situation is that I’m the son of the president of the United States. What troubles me is the demonization of addiction, of human frailty, using me as its avatar and the devastating consequences it has for the millions struggling with addiction, desperate for a way out and being bombarded by the denigrating and near-constant media coverage. Far too few will ever experience the miracle of recovery unless we change the stigma around addiction. Read the full column at usatoday.com. 📷: Julio Cortez / @apnews