Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory is back from a three-week stay at an in-patient rehab facility in Texas. In his first news conference since his return, he said it was hard for him to ask for help.
“I knew that if I did not proactively seek, ask for, and receive help it would not only hurt my family, myself, my loved ones, but it would also hurt the city and parish of Lafayette,” Guillory said.
Guillory said he was treated for alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder. He offered a hand to veterans suffering from untreated PTSD and to anyone struggling with alcohol abuse.
“If you are struggling with alcoholism know that you are not alone, and if you cannot get the help that you need or you don’t know where to start, call my office, and we will help”, Guillory offered.
Guillory pointed out that alcoholism is a disease, yet he fought attempts to temporarily replace him with an interim administrator while he was at an in-patient facility. He insisted he was available via phone and email.
“The people elected me, elected my policies, my thoughts and ideas, and the administration is there to carry out those thoughts and ideas. Twenty-one days is not a long time and I felt like the folks deserved those initiatives to go forward,” Guillory said.
Guillory emphasized that twenty-one days is just the beginning and that this is a lifelong process for him.
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