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Comedian Mark Lundholm spoke to 340 people at Cornerstone United Methodist Church Thursday.

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Portia Williams

PDT Staff Writer

Comedian Mark Lundholm addressed an audience of 340 Thursday at Cornerstone United Methodist Church.

As a part of the Celebrate Recovery Program at Cornerstone United Methodist Church, Lundholm brought laughter to the captive audience.

Lundholm is an accomplished comedian who has appeared on Comedy Central, Showtime, A&E, CBS, and NBC taking his act on the road to each of the 50 states, as well as 10 foreign countries.

He uses his gift of comedy to bring laughter to a variety of different audiences, from Fortune 500 companies to convicted felons.

Rhonda Dunlap, a counselor at the Stepping Stone House, an affiliate of The Counseling Center, said Lundholm’s presentation brought hope to all who attended the event.

“The Counseling Center hired Mr. Lundholm to come here, his performance was great. He provided a lot of hope,” Dunlap said.

Lundholm’s presentation at Cornerstone was tailored for recovering drug addicts, as Lundholm’s comedy encompassed terms associated with drug and alcohol abuse.

“I love who you are, what we represent, what we have in common,” Lundholm said to the audience.

Lundholm said he is a recovering drug addict who has been drug-free for nearly 25 years.

“Addiction is an uncontrolled sense of self in a direction that is unhealthy,” Lundholm said.

Lundholm said he had to undergo years of recovery and treatment to escape from the clutches of drug addiction and continue to move forward in his life.

“Recovery has allowed me to step back into the normal world on it’s terms,” Lundholm said.

In his own unique way, Lundholm utilized comedy to make sense of the drug addiction that ensnares so many within society.

During the course of his talk, Lundholm constantly compared and contrasted what he called “normal” people, those who live free of addiction, and the “addicts,” those who battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

Lundholm’s words were poignant and crass at times, but the message hit home with the audience while evoking waves of laughter.

“I came to Portsmouth because I was invited. It’s a really, really powerful recovery process that’s universal. I know it’s local here, I feel it, I’ve been hearing about it for a long time,” Lundholm said.

Lundholm said he admires the response that he received from the audience at Cornerstone.

“The response here from them was honest, forgiving, flexible, loving and that is because that’s the way it works. I was treated really well here,” Lundholm said.

At the completion of his performance, Lundholm received a standing ovation and entertained questions from the audience.

Portia Williams may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 286 or portiawilliams@civitasmedia.com.