Louis Theroux’s BBC documentary ‘Drinking to Oblivion’ hit close to home for a lot of people.
The journalist interacted with patients at Kings College Hospital in London, all of whom had been admitted in relation to their alcohol use, as well as staff at the hospital.
He spent time with alcoholics Aurelie, Joe and Peter, who were each affected differently by their dependencies. Joe was the youngest, and the one whose story seemed to have the biggest impact on a number of viewers.
At the close of the programme, Theroux revealed he has since met up with the 32-year-old, who was several months sober when ‘Drinking to Oblivion’ aired.
And the documentary-maker hasn’t stopped there. He’s kept in touch with Joe, and this week shared a picture of the pair meeting for coffee.
Joe is now eight months sober and, while he has relapsed before, it is certainly welcome news.
Coffee with @joedwalker from my alcohol programme, 8 months sober. Congrats, dude! #beards #aa pic.twitter.com/6MppZSVonO
— Louis Theroux (@louistheroux) June 14, 2016
‘Drinking to Oblivion’ clearly had a profound impact on viewers at the time, and its message has stayed with a lot of people since.
Those who were touched by Joe’s story at the time have expressed their delight to see him on the road to recovery, sharing messages of positivity.
so pleased he's doing so well.
— Matt Edmondson (@MattEdmondson) June 14, 2016
That's really good news. @joedwalker struck me as a really likeable guy.
— Jason Arnopp – Skool.com/writing (@JasonArnopp) June 14, 2016
https://twitter.com/Mentazm/status/742838485141344257
well done Joe! You should be really proud of yourself & nice one Louis for being there. A refreshing & happy tale.
— Rob Rouse (@robrouse) June 14, 2016
