Bill de Blasio began his work as Mayor of New York City in January, but one of his children is already making headlines for sharing her story of substance abuse and depression. Chiara, now 19-years-old, released a video through de Blasio’s e-mail campaign and spoke about her abuse of weed and alcohol that was triggered in part by clinical depression.
"It made it easier, the more I drank and did drugs, to share some common ground with people that I wouldn’t have,” said Chiara in the video. “It didn’t start out as like a huge thing for me, but then it became a really huge thing for me."
Substance abuse seems to run in de Blasio’s family; his father Warren was an alcoholic who eventually took his own life. Chiara admitted to believing that going to college on the other side of the country in California would remove her problems. Unfortunately, rumors of her substance abuse swirled last summer and were likely made worse by reporters who aggressively tried to dig up details on her downfall.
Chiara eventually crumbled and began attending outpatient treatment in NYC. But having been sober now for several months, she said that quitting alcohol and drugs was “the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But it’s so worth it.” She also has the unwavering of support of her parents, who wrote in a statement that Chiara has “committed to her own health [and] is also committed to helping young people everywhere who face similar challenges. Her courage to speak out demonstrates a wisdom and maturity far beyond her 19 years, and we are grateful every day for her commitment to lifting up those who need to know that they are not alone."
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