22/07/2026 21:17 - Sociales
In an act of profound bravery and transparency, Matías Nebot, the 37-year-old mayor of the Buenos Aires municipality of Saavedra, surprised his community by publicly confessing his struggle against addiction and announcing he has been 308 days without consuming cocaine.
For me, it's quite difficult to know where to start, but I'll begin where my heart takes me. I have been 308 days clean.
The revelation occurred during the weekend in the town of Pigüé, the head city of the Saavedra district, within the framework of the 'Hablar es prevenir' (Talking is preventing) cycle, under the motto 'Talking breaks the silence that feeds addictions'. The event, organized at the Cooperativa La Alianza hall, featured the participation of Adrián di Renzo, a prominent referent in addiction prevention from the nearby city of Bahía Blanca.
Nebot, who is a teacher and an Agricultural Production technician, emphasized that recovery is a continuous process. 'The fight against addiction must happen every day, one day at a time. The cause is never the substance; the cause is something else, the substance is the consequence,' the communal chief reflected before neighbors and specialists.
According to reports, the local leader reportedly consumed cocaine for approximately two years. His issues were exacerbated in early 2025, when a severe economic crisis in the district forced him to make the difficult decision to cut the salaries of municipal employees.
Amidst this rehabilitation process, Nebot faced the passing of his father. District sources indicated that his father's intervention was key for the mayor to take the first step and begin his treatment. Currently, the official is close to reaching one year away from the substance.
For our international readers, Saavedra is a 'partido' (district) located in the southwest of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Its capital is the city of Pigüé. It is fundamentally an agricultural and livestock region, strongly known for its cooperative identity and community work, which makes the mayor's confession even more impactful in a tight-knit society.
Despite his testimony going viral on social media, the mayor chose to maintain a low profile for the moment. Nebot stated that he will not give interviews until concluding a new stage of his treatment scheduled for the coming weeks, after which he will share more details of his story.
As a preview of his future administration, the mayor assured that he will work to strengthen programs linked to mental health in his municipality. 'Generating these spaces for encounter and reflection allows us to continue building a more informed, committed, and present community regarding an issue that involves us all,' the municipality highlighted in an official statement.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
