Apparently it was the wake-up call that Mel Gibson needed to get sober. Too bad it was also a huge image-breaker and public humiliation. I’m speaking, of course, about his DUI arrest in July, complete with anti-Semitic comments. He’s finally come forward in an interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America to talk about the incident and the subsequent fallout. In the first part of the interview, which aired this morning, Gibson called his arrest “a blessing,” saying that he needed “public humiliation on a global scale” to get sober. Commenting on the incident and his alcoholism, Gibson said, “Sometimes you need a cold bucket of water in the face to sort of snap to, because you’re dealing with a sort of malady of the soul, an obsession of the mind and a physical allergy.” Jewish leaders, addiction experts and PR gurus believe that he still has a way to go on rebuilding his reputation, with many saying that he is hiding behind alcoholism and not taking full credit for the incident.

The second part of the interview will air on Friday morning on Good Morning America.