Asia Argento: From Addiction and Tragedy to Rebirth and New Love

The death of his mother (Daria Nicolodi, ed) was the point of no return. At that moment Asia Argento understood that desperation can be a gift “because it forces you to see what is there”. Which in her case was a lifetime of pain and addiction, with alcohol replacing the drugs at one point, she’s been on since she was a little girl. “Sometimes I drank even in the morning – the artist confessed to “Verissimo” – . Alcohol is a depressant, the more you drink the worse you feel. Some days I spent entirely in bed with the blinds down and my children saw that too, but I think it was a lesson for them too. I have lost many friends to addictions, my mother herself was an alcoholic and many times she became violent. As a child I used to say I didn’t want to become like this, but until we understand and break the chain, we find ourselves making the same mistakes as our parents».

Then the turning point, thanks to which she has been sober for almost two years. «At a certain point I had an epiphany – continued Argento – I had to save myself for myself and for the people close to me. I started practicing Buddhism which helped me make room within me. I went back to the Alcoholics Anonymous speaking groups, I continue to attend them and every day I promise myself not to drink or use drugs. Now I haven’t drunk or taken drugs for 23 months.’ In 2018 one of her many tragedies in her life, the suicide of her ex-partner, the famous cook Anthony Bourdain.  «I blamed myself for his suicide too – admitted the actress, now 47 years old – but when an important character like him takes his own life, it is a missed opportunity. I didn’t understand that he was carrying this tragedy inside, he didn’t let me see it and I will regret this all the way. I couldn’t do anything, it was her decision. Sometimes I too thought about taking my own life, but the love for my children held me back. There is always something worth living for.’

The rebirth brought her a new love, the martial arts champion Michele Martignoni. “I have been alone for many years. I had to understand who I was and what I wanted, to find the right person for me. Michele is a wonderful man and my children, who are merciless judges, have approved of him. He has holy patience, he is helping me a lot to understand myself and to reach a level of serenity that I didn’t think was possible. I’ve lived all my life in torment, now I want lightness, simple things».