After finding himself involved in some controversy over a night of partying and a drug overdose incident, former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D) has now released a video update on what the last few months have meant to him.
In March, Gillum released a statement saying that he would be stepping away from political life, expressing that “since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse.” He added, “I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated.”
Today, Mayor Gillum took to social media to release a video, providing an update on what he’s been doing since March.
He explained that he registered in rehab for alcohol abuse, noting that “with a lot of encouragement from family and the people who love and care about me, I also got into therapy where I could start to talk through some of what’s going on with me.”
Gillum added that he “knew that if I had not dealt first with issues of addiction and the numbing that I chose with alcohol, there was no way I could start to pull back the layers and talk about what was truly happening underneath.”
He detailed that losing the gubernatorial election to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) was a blow that left him feeling defeated and emotionally depleted. However, he updated that he is doing much better now than he was doing months ago.
"If there was a lesson to learn, if there was something I would want you to take from me, it would be 'don't be like me.' Don't suffer in silence. Get access to the help that you need."
For now, Gillum mentioned that he is on a personal journey, one where he could become "a whole and complete and indivisible person."
