Dear nobull****,
I'd like to inform you that an Italian ATPL is accepted by the British CAA. All you need to do is take your logbooks and licences into the CAA at gatwick and have your experience assessed. Next step will be an Air law validation exam and then for a CAA inspector to observe you in the sim. You will then have a validation and be able to work in UK. As from Feb 2002 by turning in your Italian ATPL to Civilavia in Rome you'll be issued with a JAR ATPL and won't need a validation anymore to work in UK.
As for drinking, there are many foreigners flying in Italy with a drinking problem but there are also some very good professionals too. I think it's a matter of the airline to do a background check on these guys before hiring them. It only takes a few phone calls.
Next, there are Italian pilots working abroad and doing very well. One of the managers in the Emirates recruitment department is a A330 Captain and he's from Rome. He used to fly for Meridiana and decided to use this noble profession to travel the world and he is coming on very successfully.