TESTIMONY
Mathias is confined alone to Chamonix far from his family who is in Brittany. For three weeks, he could no longer communicate with his family due to cell phone problems. Loneliness then led him to drink alcohol again. At the microphone of "La Libre antenne", on Europe 1, Mathias confides in his solitude and tells how painting allows him to free himself from alcohol.
>> Listen to Mathias' testimony in full here
I'm struggling with this confinement. I am confined to Chamonix. I am from Brittany, so I am far from my family. My contract is finished because I am in the catering industry which is very affected by confinement. I think it's going to be complicated. I don't know if I'm going to have more work. It was quite difficult, because I had laptop and connection issues. For three weeks, I was cut off from the world, I had nothing to communicate.
I could not reach Brittany because my contract ended on March 16. The next day I wanted to take buses and it was impossible. They didn't give us a few days to come back or find a solution. I found myself stranded in Chamonix. I do not have to complain because it is a beautiful region. I'm not a fan of the internet, but it's good to be able to communicate with the outside world.
" Loneliness brings bad things "In addition, I fall into my tracks. I fall back into the alcohol that I had forgotten for six or seven months before coming from Chamonix. I fall back into these bad things. For two or three weeks, I was unable to have my mother, my brother and my sister on the phone, to whom I am very close. It changes to have internet. I'm not saying it's the revolution because I know how to occupy myself, I paint.
It is important to be able to speak with other people. I think a lot about people who can't say goodbye to the people they love. We suffer from not being able to see our loved ones. For me, it is a very great suffering. Loneliness leads to bad things, not having people to rely on. I try to adhere to certain rules of life, do not get up too late in the morning, do my painting. But sometimes I feel like I'm bothering myself. Here I have a good acquaintance, but I have no friends. I'm wandering. This is what is hard.
>> Find Olivier Delacroix's Free Antenna in replay and podcast here
I had stopped drinking for five months because I no longer wanted to touch alcohol. I was at the best of myself on an artistic level. It was awesome. At work, it hurt me. I have a lot of passions, I paint a lot. I found redemption in painting and reading. Painting is really something that touches me. I only got good feedback on it. It gives a breath of life.