Ahead of National Overdose Awareness Day on August 31, Cumberland River Behavioral Health (CRBH) is hosting an overdose awareness event featuring Beverly Vance Aikins as its guest speaker.
Aikins has 11 years in recovery, and her son happens to be the vice president of the United States.
“No matter how you feel politically, J.D. Vance is from Eastern Kentucky and his mother was an addict,” said CRBH Director of Recovery Services Danielle Matlock.
While her son’s political success gives her name more prominence, Aikins’s story is her own, and it is one that many in the recovery community can relate to.
“It’s really more about that she was a single mom,” Matlock explained. “Her mom raised her son, and still she was able to get sober herself and get stable. Like I said, she’s a director of nursing now. [She] only speaks on the weekends right now, and yet in turn had a son who turned out pretty good.”
“She broke a stigma too, in a sense, because it’s not always, because I’m an addict, my kids are going to be or my kids are going to amount to nothing either,” said Matlock.
It’s the relatability of her story that endears her to the recovery community.
“The recovery community respects her,” Matlock said. “That’s what we do with our recovery stories. It’s to give hope to somebody who feels hopeless.”
In addition to Aikins’s presentation, the event will also feature a DJ and free food.
Several community groups are expected to attend to provide resources for people in recovery and people looking for recovery opportunities.
Resources will also be available for family members affected by a loved one’s substance abuse disorder.
Matlock said everyone in the community is invited.
One of the goals for the event is to break the stigma around substance abuse.
“People do recover, you know, so you have people that, like myself, have 21 years in recovery,” said Matlock. “You have success stories.”
The event is slated for 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 29 at the Corbin Civic Center.
