Interesting topic, I don't really know anything about Hunter Biden but whatever, in this instance I think he was correct to call out the interviewer. It's like saying "so, you've been in and out of the nuthouse", or "so, you've been back and forth to the headshrinkers" for someone who's been hospitalised or just sought out therapy for mental health issues, and if current progressive trends continue in these areas, this will eventually seem obvious to everyone.
Absolutely, the language we use to talk about substance use does matter. For one, terms like "addict" are divisive, belittling, and IMO generally unhelpful, and 12 step organisations are one of the worst offenders at perpetuating this kind of language. Of course, the word does mean something - in the most neutral interpretation, it simply refers to a person who is currently experiencing an addiction to something. And, I think - despite what I just said - I get it's usefulness, in a sense, since a primary goal of 12 step philosophy (as I perceive it) is to break down people's ego and get them to begin to view certain elements of their own thinking as dysfunctional and not a reliable path to happiness. But, I don't think this is something that is really understood by the majority of 12 step adherents and in fact thinking too deeply about the philosophy rather than just blindly following the steps is actively discouraged, so on that basis (again, just IMHO) use of terms like addict probably just does more harm than good and deters at least as many people as it helps.
I'm not saying this kind of term should be completely taboo of course, again it serves a purpose, and people experiencing addiction may well choose to refer to themselves as addicts just as people experiencing any other mental health issue might jokingly (or not so jokingly) refer to themselves as "crazy". But the idea that this would be acceptable in a treatment setting - let alone something that people are encouraged to make part of their identity - is just absurd. On that note, the idea that it's in any shape or form a sensible tradition in any kind of group support meeting for everyone to introduce themselves as an addict and therefore intrinsically different from the rest of society is all kinds of absurd, just as it would be for any other kind of mental health support meeting to kick off by everyone introducing themselves as, "Hi, I'm crazy/insane/mentally disturbed".
I could go on but I guess I'll leave it there so as not to just keep bashing 12 step programs.