Former Tallahassee Mayor and 2018 Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum is speaking out for the first time in months. In an 11 minute video posted to his Instagram page, Gillum gave supporters an update on his recovery, according to CBS News.
The update comes after a March incident in Miami Beach. Police found Gillum intoxicated in a hotel room, where another man was reportedly suffering from a suspected drug overdose, according to reports at the time. Gillum later announced he would step away from public life and enter a rehabilitation program.
In the video, Gillum spoke about alcoholism and depression, CBS News reports. He said his father struggled with alcohol addiction, and that he did not want to repeat that pattern with his own children. He also said he “totally underestimated” how much losing the 2018 governor’s race by less than half a percent weighed on him, and that depression he had tried to suppress became too much to manage. He thanked his wife for standing by him and said he is writing about his experience in the hope that it helps others.
His caption was short and to the point. “Personal update,” it read. “I am thankful to so many of you who have wished me well during this especially challenging time.” He signed off by saying he would see everyone on the other side.
The video drew well over 100,000 views within hours of going up, and plenty of supporters used the comments to send him love as he works on his recovery.
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