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Season 1, Episode 10

Mark

Age: 49
Location: Texas
Addiction: Morphine

What’s Memorable: The dying wife, only 2 people at the intervention.

Official synopsis:  Mark, who’s so addicted to painkillers that he’s had a morphine pump surgically implanted in his abdomen.

Original Air Date: June 2005

Interventionist: Jeff

Comments
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Comments

  1. marcy lily

    This episode is on LMN right now . Is there a most vile or most disgusting addict category here ? If there is or could be I nominate Mark the King . Yes I know he had issues but what he did to his poor sweet dying wife and put her through even after he went to rehab was EVIL . The poor woman had cancer and he was the victim ? Maybe because my cancer was upgraded as worse (stage 3) and my husband would die for me to take it away it made me see Mark differently , he just is so totally evil.
    I don’t know if he had more than 2 living family members to be at the intervention but if he did I know why they did not come . Marks intervention solely focused on his addiction to Opiates as his problem and he blamed Opiates alone for his personality and behavior issues . Bullsh*t ! The man reminded me of every patient I cared for that had NPD and Intermitent Explosive Disorder (Rage Issues) . Many of them learn to mask it and have a major episode later. Sadly they push almost everybody away for life if they can not exploit them, carry grudges for life , sever all ties with those closest to them for minor issues normal people would laugh at and blame everything on others. Even when he was sober he was blaming his poor dying wife . He was one of a handful of people on the show I wanted to slap . May his poor lovely ex-wife rest in the peace he never gave her. She tried and did save him and he payed her back by letting her die all alone . Sick.

    1. Janel

      I agree with you completely. I rarely dislike the featured addicts, Mark was my first. We all make mistakes, own up to them rather than placing the blame. Him blaming his wife was just sick. To me it seemed like in addition to his addiction, he was a sociopath. I still wish the best for him, as I do most people with any illness, but I’m glad he’s not my next door neighbor.

      1. Sue Ellen Hegstrom

        I have been avoiding this episode but I think I need to watch it just to form my own opinion. I watched it many moons ago and I just did not like the guy.

    2. Sue Ellen Hegstrom

      This guy is tied with Linda (the EDS woman addicted to Percocet lollipops) for evil. So horrible how he treated his late wife. She was right to kick him out.

    3. Sue Ellen Hegstrom

      Watched him again – still dislike the dude. This is where the double addict episodes aren’t quite to my liking. We learn more about the person behind the addiction when it’s just one person being profiled. Still don’t like him. No sympathy.

  2. Jimmie

    I am almost always forgiving of the things that the addicts did once they get sober because they are apologetic and usually really feel bad for what they did. Not Mark though. He couldn’t care less about his dying wife, even after he was sober and she was dead. How disgusting is that? I am honestly sickened by him.

  3. Staci wilson

    I wonder how he is doing now..?

    1. Parker

      I don’t

  4. Andy

    I think mark is a narcissist. All he could say after his wife died was “She chose to go away from me, so if that’s her wish then so be it.” Absolutely disgusting.

  5. Stefan

    I believe the only other person who had only 2 people at their intervention was Larry, the alcoholic from Season 10, although his stepfather and wife backed out at the last minute as they refused to hold their bottom lines.

    1. Stefan

      Also I’m not sure it’s accurate to say that there were only two people at the intervention as his wife did “attend” via video message.

      1. Kitty Katt

        Yes, but he made them shut the tv a few seconds into her talking.

  6. Brooke

    this guy is the WORST!! abandoning your dying wife!! at the end, he said “she chose to leave me, if that’s her wish, so be it” or something like that – what is wrong with him?! it’s not like he was in the throes of addiction saying that, as people can say some awful things then; no, he was completely sober! she didn’t CHOOSE to leave him, HE left her (in the sense that he’s an addict). she wanted him to be there for her during her short remaining time on this planet and he couldn’t even do that for her and she died all alone. i hope he never forgives himself! he make me sick!!

  7. HJ

    Does anyone know Mark’s last name and where he lives in TX? What was the deal with only 3 people at the intervention? That includes the wife’s video message. You would think Mark had other friends or family that cared about him just as much.

    1. Stefan

      You’re really surprised that he didn’t have anyone else who cared?

  8. Kitty Katt

    I watched this episode today and it made me furious.

    His wife was the bread winner while he stayed home to pop pills all day long with the sorry excuse of his pain being so great. Once she got sick and couldn’t work, she wanted him to get a job since there was no money coming in now that she was home and dying. He refused to get a job and they lost everything financially (house, car, etc.) Knowing that they’ll lose everything, he still didn’t give a shit. Then to act like he’s the real victim in all of this is truly pathetic.
    He refused to call his wife who is dying because it’s her fault that they are not speaking. Yet, when the sister went to visit her, once she returned home, the first thing out of his mouth was “Did she ask about me?” It was the fact that after he went to rehab and came back, he still refused to call or see her that made my blood boil. He showed his true colors and he was sober so it wasn’t the drugs that made him act that way.

    1. Stefan

      There are two kinds of addicts; those who are good people but trapped in the clutches of addiction, and those who are just assholes. Mark is definitely the latter.

      1. Gigi

        It in no way absolves him but I think he clearly has a personality disorder. And if I recall correctly it was pretty obvious that he had hair plugs which tells you where his priorities are.