In his first social media post since March, Andrew Gillum spoke about his struggle with alcoholism and gave a personal update on his health. In March, the former Florida candidate for governor had said he would be entering a rehabilitation facility after having fallen into a depressive episode.
Gillum, a Democrat, lost his bid for governor in November of 2018. In the Instagram video he posted Monday, he said he had been "suffering in silence" throughout his campaign, and had now turned to therapy to try and work through his problems.
“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 what was going on with me," Gillum said. "I knew if I had not dealt first with issues and 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."
Days before Gillum had disclosed his decision to enter rehab, he had been involved in an incident in South Florida in which police said he was "inebriated" and initially unresponsive in a hotel room along with a male companion where authorities found baggies of suspected crystal methamphetamine. He was not charged with any crime.
Following the announcement, he stepped down from all his public roles.
“I want to apologize to my family, friends and the people of Florida who have supported me and put their faith in me over the years,” he said in March, requesting privacy for his family.
