Former Vice President and current presidential candidate Joe Biden Jr. (open in new tab) said his father, Joe Biden Sr. had a profound influence on his life. Joe Sr. who started out wealthy but suffered business and personal setbacks, taught his son how to stand up when knocked down. Joe Jr.'s family and neighbors also inadvertently taught him the dangers of alcohol. Joe Jr. is trying to influence his children as well. Here are some of Biden's thoughts on sobriety and what made him decide to get sober.

Joe Jr. said on the campaign trail in 2008, "I have a lot of alcoholics in my family." Joe Sr. was not an alcoholic, but he did drink. However, his maternal family (maiden name Finnegan) and the surrounding area were more severely affected.

"'It was in every family,' said Tom Bell, a childhood friend of Senator Biden's from Scranton and still a close friend today. But the Finnegan family had more than its share." Later, Biden seemed to influence his brother Frank ("Frankie"), who is now a recovering alcoholic.

The Biden family suffered many tragedies: in 1972, Joe Jr.'s wife and daughter were killed in a car accident, and two sons were seriously injured. In particular, the youngest son, Hunter Biden (opens in new tab), suffered serious head injuries; in 2001, Joe Jr.'s other son, Bo, died of a brain tumor.

Hunter has been outspoken about his addiction to drugs and alcohol; he first received treatment in 2001 with the support of his brother Beau; he has entered rehab five times, including after Beau's death in 2015; he was admitted to a rehab facility in 2015; he was also admitted to a rehab facility in 2015.

According to Hunter, his father helped him during a particularly difficult time on his road to recovery, at one point insisting that Hunter needed help; the two are still in regular contact, and Hunter now says his recent work as an artist has "literally kept me sane."

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