Regional Director

Clackamas County       

 

        After over 10 years struggling with alcoholism and drug abuse, Aaron Bingham finally became the sports-loving, funny man that we know today. It was a long, frustrating fight but Aaron eventually overcame his vices and is now our Regional Director in Clackamas County, using his unique skills to help young adults with the same problems he struggled with in the past.



Aaron comes from a family that battles addiction and alcoholism. Nearly everyone in his family deals with the effects of unhealthy lifestyles that stem from substance abuse. His father was frequently in jail and drug treatment centers while Aaron was growing up and when he was just six years old his parents divorced. Once he turned eleven years old, Aaron started to drink. By the age of twelve, he began to drink daily. During this important stage in his life, Aaron also began to use various drugs which contributed to his criminal lifestyle. He was making wrong choices and his priorities were skewed in a negative way. He dropped out of school at the young age of 16. His choices would have a very large, destructive impact on his future prospects. When he turned 18, Aaron knew that if he wanted to be successful in life he needed to straighten up; and he attempted to do so by getting a job as a car salesman in Eugene. However, he was still using drugs and drinking on a daily basis and this led one of the lowest points in his life: he lost his house, his job, and his car. Aaron had lost everything because of his lifestyle choices, and so he took off to Las Vegas with his biological father. He had sold all of his possessions to get to the appropriately-named sin city, and once there he got another job as a car salesman with his father. His father became an enabler for Aaron’s drug use and they started partying together. When he realized his life had become harder and harder to control, he moved back to Salem at the age of 20 in another attempt to straighten his life out. This was futile, however, and he got started in gang life and continued to use drugs. Aaron lost countless friends to this lifestyle within the span of just two years.



When Aaron turned 22, he was introduced to an outpatient treatment center through Lane County Mental Health Services. He did not take it seriously at first but after a DUI charge, he began to take his treatment seriously. During his time at the treatment center, he met a mentor who became the closest thing to a caring father he had ever known. Aaron attributes his sobriety to this father figure, and has been sober now for 4 years. At the center, he met his future wife who became his motivation and a stable aspect of his life. Aaron is now happily married and is looking forward to starting a family.

​

Aaron first became involved in Youth M.O.V.E. when he volunteered for Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. He instantly knew that this kind of work was what he was meant to do, and so he got to be more involved with the organization. He is now the Regional Director and is the best as what he does everyday because he knows what it takes to become clean and healthy. His knowledge and his care for young adults makes him the invaluable asset to Youth M.O.V.E. that we appreciate today.

Aaron Bingham

Contact: Aaron@youthmoveoregon.com