Theroux tweeted a picture of himself and Joe Walker yesterday, with the caption – ‘Coffee with Joe Walker from my alcohol programme, 8 months sober. Congratz Dude! #beards #aa’.
Joe’s struggle against alcoholism was originally documented in Louis’ ‘Drinking to Oblivion’ piece, which aired on BBC Two back in April, and which also followed the lives of other individuals based in the UK who struggle with drinking problems or who are suffering from drinking-related illnesses. The piece was brutal and harrowing, an eye-opening look at the disease of alcoholism through getting to know those who suffer with it.
When we last saw Joe, he was taking another shot at kicking alcohol, following a sad relapse which had been shown to the audience through a hard-to-watch episode at the hospital. What highlighted Joe’s story particularly is his age (he is only 32) and his happy and generally laid back demeanor when sober. The 8 months mile stone really is something to be proud of, however, and Louis’ tweet suggests that Joe, who lives in Brighton, is doing well and is firmly on the road to recovery.
Theroux really gets to the crux of difficult issues by being somewhat intrusive, asking questions others wouldn’t. Yet despite his relentless approach, he gets a lot from his interviewees, and overwhelmingly people respond really well to his frankness. Back in April, he told NME that ‘[he just has an] instinct of how to do interviews.’