Virginia Welby interviews Michele Boselli on his drinking problem

SANTA LUCIA DI PIAVE (Italy) - The “anonymous” alcoholic who on 20 February 2012 aroused fuss with his outing in the leading weekly newsmagazine Oggi answers to the name of Michele Boselli, 46-y-o blogger from Santa Lucia di Piave, where we have met him together with Ms Giovanna Facchin, 60, former nurse in charge of the local Club for alcoholics in treatment (CAT), that both attend with a dozen of families sharing such personal drama and devastating social problem.

Michele, how your drinking problem begun and why?
In order to drug myself to a recreational aim. When I was a teenager I preferred the by-products of cannabis (hashish and marijuana, ndr). Then, relatively late in respect of nowaday's young people, at the age of 26 I began to consume alcohol in substitution to the “pot”, than did not exist in the countries of Eastern Europe where I had moved becase of my job, but down there alcohol rivers slid like a collective anesthesia instrument by totalitarian communism for the masses unfortunately inebriated.

What brought you in Eastern Europe?
At the time I was working for the Transnational Radical Party, lobbying in the parliaments of the post-Communists countries for the institution of the International Criminal Court, thanks to which also Karadzhic and Mladic will end their days like Milosevic behind the bars of a modern and clean Dutch jail, which thing is a pleasure to me, since by the Serbian militia I was captured and detenained in Kosovo during the war. Ugly experience, but this should not sound like an excuse for my alcoholism.

In fact, returning to the topic, how did you noticed that drinking had become a problem? It compromised in some way your job and your relationship with others?
Not the job. except for the fact that alcohol consumption had weakened me psychologically in developing some phobias such as, for example, fear to fly, which was an essential part of my political activity. But the real element triggering my conscience was when in 2006 - thanks to a state of drunkeness I was dumped by an unpleasant Parisian girl to whom I had a crush with at the time. The Fatherland (Italy!) revenged me in the football (soccer) World championship in Berlin. We brutally fucked the French in winning the most-yerned competition on this planet.

How many times have you tried to stop drinking? Where did you addressed yourself?
Three times. The first one in 2007 in Auronzo (North-East Italy), but I fled after a few days because my computer was seized, prohibited to me, a dependency with no damages and therefore an absurd prohibition. The second one in 2009 in Teolo (again in North-East Italy), where instead I recovered in very good shape (computer was permitted), but then I made the mistake of not constantly, frequently attending the alcoholits' Club and therefore I had the classic fall-back. Thirdly, recently in San Daniele del Friuli, which is an excellent public health structure where deep friendships with persons welcomed from all over Italy are established, Among them, my current partner, whom I met there.

Why have you chosen to make you story public?
The communitarian experience at San Daniele's hospital made me aware that one has not not to be ashamed to ask for help, and the best way in order to show gratefulness towards who has helped me consists just in communicating this message to those afraid of expose themselves.

How society behaves in regards to those admitting to have a drinking problem?
Except for a few idiots who irride you, there are many more intelligent and comprehensive persons, with no moralistic complexes of superiority. Among these people are those in the Clubs for alcoholics in treatment, all likeable people to find new friends among them. Or there is your doctor, who has the duty to assist with highest consideration those who face the difficult step to overcome the embarrassment. And then, if because of this courageous choice you'll be irrided by the friends in the pub, all the better: it has been ascertained to have for “friends” a bunch of idiots.

Why are so many people alcoholics without knowing it?
Actually, we intimately know, but it is a drug which consumption is considered normal in our culture.

What advise would you give to young people getting drunk on weekends?
None. These very pages of your newspaper inform them on a daily basis on how they kill themselves. If they do not understand it, rather than advise there only is to hope that the planetrees help the natural selection.

This sounds macabre cynicism. How about the innocent victims?
Right. Then I would advise them to annoy local politicians in order to adapt local public transport at least to the levels that even the Third World enjoys: in Santa Lucia we only have three buses a day, total zero by night or on Sundays. Another suggestion for the upcoming spring and summer: experience a non-alcoholic conviviality in the public gardens enjoying some good music at a reasonable volume and, if you really want, also some cannabis, much less harmful than alcohol. In the event that the police or patrols annoy you, send them to direct the traffic. In doing so, do not exitate to use the "F" word.

You are irresponsably encouraging the use of illegal substances, but drinking is not like taking drugs…
IT IS! It is a substance by a toxicity comparable to heroin or cocaine, both in terms of physical dependency and social dangerousness, while it does not turn out that cannabis provokes family violence or road rage, indeed it has the opposite effect. We do not consider alcohol like a drug just because it is legal and therefore it does not enrich the Mafias, but otherwise the distinction is absolutely antiscientific.

Thanks for having shared your experience with our newspaper.
You are welcome. Now, will you buy me a pint of beer?