Švab has been named the ambassador of the “40 Days without Alcohol” campaign. At a press conference formally launching the campaign, he said that he and his bandmates were 13 years old when they started playing in bars. The band played up to 200 nights a year, and they were often encouraged to drink alcohol, especially by older drinkers.

“We were expected to drink at every party we played. I don’t know why we stood up to them – maybe because we had an unwavering will to survive. It sounds very dramatic but those who share similar experiences know that there’s a lot of truth in what I’m saying,” said Švab, adding that he had done the math: “What if we had just one glass of wine every time we played? We play up to 200 nights a year, and we’ve been playing for 17 years … That would not have ended well.”

“We had a rule back then: ‘If you get sloshed, you’ll get kicked out of the band.’ One strike and you’re out. No exceptions, no excuses. Even when someone proposed a toast, we weren’t allowed to drink a single drop of alcohol. That was our rule. Even as young boys we knew that one glass of wine leads to another and another and another,” said Švab.

Švab admits that there are many similarities between him and Janez Rugelj, the late Slovenian psychiatrist who treated people with alcohol-related problems. “Not even older people dared to drink alcohol in my presence,” said Švab.

He softened his tough stance on alcohol when he and his bandmates realized that they can communicate and pick up girls more easily when they’re sober. “At that point we no longer needed any strict rules on drinking alcohol because we realized that sobriety is a good habit in and of itself.”

Tina Hacler; translated by D. V.