The American actor Mark Wahlberg recently appeared on the Graham Norton Show where he seemed to be drunk. The 41-year-old star has had previous problems with addiction to cocaine and other substances, and some of his fans are speculating that it might be time for him to give up alcohol as well. Mark Wahlberg has appeared in a string of hit movies including Ted, The Italian Job, Rock Star, and The Departed. This appearance on the Graham Norton Show was to promote his new movie, Broken City.
Mark Wahlberg Allows Wine to Get the Better of Him on Prime Time TV
It is pretty obvious to those watching the show that Mark Wahlberg had been drinking heavily. One of the first things that he said to Graham Norton is that encouraging people to drink before the show is a recipe for disaster – this was probably the most astute remark he made of the evening. For the rest of the interview Wahlberg behaved strangely, and, at one point, he even climbed into the lap of Graham Norton. He also flirted awkwardly with one of the female guests on the show. The actor never showed any signs of being aggressive, but at one point Norton did have to tell him to behave. Later in the show Wahlberg admitted that he had taken a nap for a few minutes – he spent much of the time slouched on the sofa. It is likely that many who watched the Graham Norton Show will have found the whole thing to be funny, but there will be others who feel worried that this might be a sign of more addiction problems for Wahlberg.
The Troubled Past of Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg has a troubled past, and this is mostly due to his previous addiction to cocaine and other chemicals. By the age of 13, he was already hooked on drugs, and he turned to a life of crime. He is believed to have been arrested 25 times by the Boston Police Department. Some of the incidents he was involved in included serious racial attacks. At one point, he was given a 2-year sentence in prison of which he only served 45 days. One of his crimes was particularly nasty as he attacked a Vietnamese man with a stick – the victim lost the sight in one eye permanently. His time in prison changed him, and he decided that he wanted to turn his back on the past. He became remorseful for his behaviour, and he even ending up asking his victims for forgiveness.
Mark Wahlberg could easily have ended up spending the rest of his life going in and out of jail, or getting himself killed, but he somehow managed to turn things around. His brother Donny was already finding fame in the 1980s boy band New Kids on the Block. Mark followed his brother into the music business, and he achieved some success. He then moved into advertising, and this gave him a launch pad for his film career. He has been hugely successful in life, and he is a great example of how people who have been destroying their life due to addiction can completely turn things around.
Does Mark Wahlberg have a Drink Problem?
Given his past, it is understandable that some will be wondering if Mark Wahlberg’s antics on the Graham Norton Show is evidence that he now has a drink problem. Such speculation might be unfair because “one swallow does not a summer make.” Perhaps this was just a once off incident, and there was too much alcohol flowing before the show. It is worrying if the makers of the show are encouraging their guests to get drunk, but this seems unlikely as most of the other guests usually behave themselves.
Addiction experts tend to agree that those who have been addicted to one substance need to cautious around other addictive substances. It is just too easy to move from one addiction to another. In fact, the best advice for those who have a history of substance addiction is to avoid alcohol and drugs completely. If you read our recent blog post about Amy Winehouse, you will have heard that she died due to alcohol poisoning after she managed to stop using heroin. In order to really recover from substance abuse, it does seem that the only real solution is complete abstinence.
