• Once my single mother got a handle on her eating disorder, she decided to go to college in her 50s.
• She's now a counselor and helps people with substance abuse issues.
• My mother and I went through treatment together, and I also struggled in college.

My mom began her college education at 55 years old, shortly after completing an eating disorder treatment program.

As a single mother battling mental health issues, she never had the opportunity to go to college or explore her interests. But, after I flew the coop and she got help for her eating disorder, she finally chased her goals.

Like her, I also struggle with mental health issues and found it difficult to put college first.

Together, we overcame our biggest obstacles and achieved our dreams.

My addiction hindered my college journey

While I don't have children, I, too, relate to a non-traditional college journey. I'm in recovery from substance use disorder — a glorious mix of alcohol, drugs, and countless other self-destructive behaviors created a myriad of hurdles to my education for a decade.

As anyone on a recovery journey knows, substance use disorders are usually accompanied by undiagnosed mental health issues or personality disorders. We often think it's easier to self-medicate than to ask for help.

This life outlook makes "simple" tasks like finishing homework and going to class feel impossible. I took college courses on and off, binge drinking and bartending until 2 a.m.

I dropped out of school more times than I can count, finally graduating with a degree in business administration at age 28.

Motherhood and mental health issues got in the way of my mom's dreams

Mom always wanted to be a counselor because she genuinely enjoys helping others, but she couldn't prioritize education as a single mom with limited support. Mom went back to work when I was six weeks old while also juggling childcare and undiagnosed mental health issues.

A single parent living paycheck to paycheck rarely has the luxury of time to peruse college admissions pamphlets or the countless hours needed to fill out financial aid forms or write scholarship essays — not to mention how challenging life can be with mental health struggles, leaving little room for motivation to flourish.

But when she finally put herself first in her 50s and dealt with her eating disorder, she met a treatment counselor. My mom figured she was a seasoned veteran based on her age. Apparently, this woman returned to college later in life, ultimately inspiring my mother to do the same.

Mom now works in her dream career as a substance abuse counselor, while I also work in my dream career as a published author and entrepreneur in the sobriety space.

Figuring ourselves out is one day at a time, too.

Our lives have long been intertwined

My mom addressed her eating disorder at the same time I addressed my substance abuse. Going through this shared recovery journey showed us how eating disorders and substance use disorders stem from similar desires to escape reality through self-medication. Her drug of choice was food; mine was alcohol and drugs.

Mom is a strong, independent woman who inspired me to be the same way.

We bring our inclusive approach to recovery to our work, too. We understand that addiction is addiction — whether it's drugs, gambling, shopping, food, or self-harm. Life is freaking hard; many folks don't have the tools or resources to address our various coping skills.

She has some advice for anyone wanting to pursue their dreams

I asked my mom if she had any words of wisdom for someone reading this, thinking about returning to school.

"Make an appointment with an advisor and learn your options. If your advisor isn't helpful, find another one," she told me.

Pursuing education is similar to mental health recovery: It's all about self-advocacy, asking for help, and leaning into peer support.

"Making an appointment with an advisor was easy, but actually going to the meeting was so hard," she continued, "I luckily found an advisor who listened to my goals and mapped out my options. She was one of the most important people in my education."

Through our journeys, we both learned that if you have the right people in your corner, you can achieve anything.

President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, after the first son was convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year.

The announcement was made by the White House on Sunday night.

"Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter," Biden wrote in a statement. "From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."

"Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form," the statement added. "Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently."

BIDEN WON'T PARDON HUNTER, WHITE HOUSE REAFFIRMS, BUT CRITICS AREN'T SO SURE

Hunter Biden, 54, has had a busy year in court, kicking off his first trial in Delaware in June, when he faced three felony firearm offenses, before he pleaded guilty in a separate felony tax case in September. 

President Biden pardoning his son is a departure from his previous remarks to the media over the summer, declaring he would not pardon the first son. 

"Yes," President Biden told ABC News when asked if he would rule out pardoning Hunter ahead of his guilty verdict in the gun case. 

Days later, following a jury of Hunter’s peers finding him guilty of three felony firearm offenses, the president again said he would not pardon his son. 

"I am not going to do anything," Biden said after Hunter was convicted. "I will abide by the jury’s decision."

In the gun case, Hunter was found guilty of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL

Prosecutors specifically worked to prove that Biden lied on a federal firearm form, known as ATF Form 4473, in October 2018, when he ticked a box labeled "No" when asked if he is an unlawful user of substances or addicted to controlled substances. 

Hunter has a well-documented history of drug abuse, which was most notably documented in his 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things," which walked readers through his previous need to smoke crack cocaine every 20 minutes, how his addiction was so prolific that he referred to himself as a "crack daddy" to drug dealers, and anecdotes revolving around drug deals, such as a Washington, D.C., crack dealer Biden nicknamed "Bicycles."

HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS DAY 5 AFTER TESTIMONY FROM SISTER-IN-LAW-TURNED-GIRLFRIEND: 'PANICKED'

Hunter’s attorneys did not dispute the first son’s long history with substance abuse amid the trial, which also included an addiction to alcohol. The defense instead argued that on the day Biden bought the Cobra Colt .38, he did not consider himself an active drug addict, citing the first son's stint in rehab ahead of the October 2018 purchase.

Prosecutors, however, argued Biden was addicted to crack cocaine before, during and after he bought the handgun. Just one day after the gun purchase, prosecutors showed the court that Biden texted Hallie Biden, his sister-in-law-turned-girlfriend, to say he was "waiting for a dealer named Mookie." A day after that text, he texted that he was "sleeping on a car smoking crack on 4th Street and Rodney" in Wilmington. 

A jury deliberated for roughly three hours across two days before they found Hunter guilty on each charge. 

Hunter was scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 13, which was delayed until December before his dad intervened. 

After President Biden dropped out of the presidential race in July amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity and age, Hunter faced another trial regarding three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. 

As jury selection was about to kick off in Los Angeles federal court, Hunter entered a surprise guilty plea. 

HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS GUILTY TO ALL NINE FEDERAL TAX CHARGES BROUGHT BY SPECIAL COUNSEL DAVID WEISS

"I will not subject my family to more pain, more invasions of privacy and needless embarrassment," Hunter said in an emailed statement at the time. "For all I have put them through over the years, I can spare them this, and so I have decided to plead guilty."

The charges carried up to 17 years behind bars, but the first son would likely have faced a much shorter sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. His sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 16. 

Ahead of the president’s decision to pardon his son, President-elect Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he would consider pardoning Hunter if victorious on Nov. 5. 

"I wouldn't take it off the books," Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt in October. "See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they've done to me, where they've gone after me so viciously. . . . And Hunter's a bad boy."

"There's no question about it. He's been a bad boy," Trump continued. "But I happen to think it's very bad for our country."