John Mulaney On Intervention And Life After Rehab

John Mulaney Spoke About His Intervention And Life After Rehab

This past week comedian John Mulaney spoke about his recent time in rehab and life after treatment on Late Night With Seth Meyers. Meyers, a long time friend who worked with Mulaney at Saturday Night Live, was integral to the 39-year-old’s decision to seek treatment for his struggles with alcohol and Cocaine addiction. 

On Tuesday, September 7th, Mulaney and Meyers recounted the fall 2020 intervention that led Mulaney to enter rehab. The comedians discussed the other people in attendance, such as Nick Kroll, Bill Hader, and Fred Armisen, and how Mulaney was 2 hours late because he decided to get a haircut. 

Intervention

An intervention occurs when the friends and family of a person struggling with an addiction join forces to voice their concerns. In doing so, they hope to inspire their loved one to get treatment for their substance use disorder (SUD). For an intervention to be successful, those concerned must ensure that the event is extremely thought out and planned. If an intervention is done spur of the moment or otherwise poorly planned, it may make the situation worse. Getting a doctor or a licensed professional to help can make the intervention process go much smoother. During the intervention, friends and families should find ways to present specific examples of the impact that their loved one’s destructive behaviors has had and what consequences there will be if they don’t seek treatment. It can be helpful to present concerns in a fact based way rather than an emotionally charged way.

Mulaney, who has struggled with addiction on and off for years, knew what he was walking into once he realized his support group was throwing an intervention for him. “When I opened the door, I knew right away it was an intervention. That’s how bad of a drug problem I had, that when I opened the door and saw people, I went, ‘This is probably my intervention’,” Mulaney recalled. 

Meyers acknowledged that Mulaney tried to get ahead of intervention by immediately letting his friends and family know that he was aware of their worries and that he agreed. Mulaney said, “I needed to be the smartest person in the room, even at the intervention. I remember saying to all of you, ‘Before you all read your letter, I have a drug problem and I need help,’ just to scoop you.” 

Life And Love After Treatment  

Later in the interview, Mulaney, who divorced his wife of 6 years in May, confirmed that he is in a new relationship with actress Olivia Munn. The comedian also told Meyers that he is soon going to be a dad as Munn is pregnant. 

Mulaney checked out of rehab a little over 6 months ago in February of 2021. Although Mulaney was quoted saying that Munn and the new baby saved his life, getting into a new relationship and welcoming a baby is often discouraged during the first year after completing treatment for an SUD. 

Anne Lewis, a psychologist and clinical addiction counselor at Indiana University Health, believes that it’s easy for those coming out of treatment to replace their substance addiction with other addictions. When this replacement is a new relationship, it can sometimes be a “love addiction.” The focus becomes chasing the euphoria of the new relationship. When this relationship fails, it can be detrimental to those struggling with addiction as they may relapse when the relationship does not work out. Lewis does not recommend getting into a relationship in the first year after treatment. 

Bruce Dechert, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, agrees with this notion and typically tells his patients to wait a few months after completing treatment before getting into a new relationship. “When people come out of treatment and they start to feel stressed because of the changes that are happening and they can’t medicate, oftentimes they will look for something external to help them change how they feel. And many times that becomes a relationship,” Dechert told the New York Post. 

To avoid relying on a new relationship, those coming out of treatment should develop a support network of sober friends who can reduce the temptation of starting a new relationship as well as relapse. Speaking a commitment to remain single in the first year after rehab to this support group can allow them to assist in keeping an individual in recovery accountable. It can also be helpful to set specific goals such as things that can be done without a significant other. Additionally, it is important to not be secretive about any possible new relationships. 

Despite these common recommendations by the addiction professionals, Meyers congratulated Mulaney and seemed very happy for his friend’s new life after rehab. Mulaney gave thanks to Meyers for helping him realize it was time to seek treatment.