In Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance depicts addiction as a pervasive issue that profoundly impacts families within the Appalachian community. He illustrates the cycle of addiction through personal anecdotes, particularly highlighting his mother's struggles with substance abuse and how it affected family dynamics. Vance describes attending family therapy sessions that exposed him to the underworld of American addiction, revealing that his mother used drugs as an escape from stress and trauma, particularly after the death of his grandfather. The narrative emphasizes the emotional toll that addiction takes on families, leading to conflict, instability, and feelings of hopelessness. Vance suggests that addiction not only disrupts individual lives but also affects the entire family unit, making it difficult for members to support each other in times of crisis. Overall, he portrays addiction as a significant factor contributing to the broader socioeconomic struggles faced by his community, reinforcing the challenges of achieving upward mobility and the need for a supportive environment to combat these issues.