Andrew Gillum shared a “personal update,” following a rehab stint for alcohol addiction. In an 11-minute video posted to Instagram on Monday (July 20), Gillum thanked supporters and opened up about his addiction.
“I know its been a while since we’ve had an opportunity to connect but as many of you know I decided to take some time away to work on myself,” he says in the recording.
“I went away to rehab to focus on my issues with alcoholism. Having grown up in a household where my father battled addiction to alcohol, and later died from complications from that deadly addiction, I know well the tole that alcohol can take not only on the individual but also on the family.”
The 40-year-old political and married father of three entered rehab after being found in a hotel room with a reported friend who allegedly suffered a drug overdose in April.
Therapy created an outlet for him to talk about repressed emotions, Gillum said. He went on to explain how losing the Florida gubernatorial race sent him into a deep depression. “I had totally underestimated the impact that losing the race for governor had had on my life, and the way those impacts started to show up in every aspect of my life.”
“Don’t suffer in silence,” advised Gillum. “Get access to the help that you need. So many of us think that we have to perpetrate this image of perfection…but the truth is nobody has it all together. That’s the big secret. All of us are struggling and trying and clawing at trying to be something else when we really ought to be trying to be at home in ourselves. That’s really the journey that I’m on right now.”
Watch the full video below.