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Owen Wilson: Back from the Brink

Originally posted Thursday November 08, 2007 12:00 PM EST

Nov. 1: Wilson spent time biking the streets of New York with a friend. Photo by: INF

Still, Wilson's return to the party circuit is troubling to some who know him, given his past struggles with drugs and depression. Says one longtime friend: "If he doesn't acknowledge and address the underlying issues [that led to the suicide attempt], the probability of some sort of recurrence is pretty high." Though Wilson has entered rehab at both Promises and Hazelden in the last decade, a source close to Andrew and Luke says the brothers "have this attitude like this was really blown out of proportion by the media and they just don't like to talk about it."

How is Wilson confronting the problems that could have cost him his life? He has been sticking close to a very protective group of friends since he was hospitalized, as well as his brothers and his parents, Laura, 68, a photographer, and Robert, 66, a retired PBS station manager, who rushed to his side after the incident. "He does have a powerful support system," says a source.

Since leaving the hospital, Wilson has had another constant presence in his life–the paparazzi. It's a degree of attention the star does not enjoy. On Nov. 5, outside the New York club Butter, Wilson and a female companion were taunted by photographers shouting, "Why are you running? Are you scared?" as they chased Wilson down the street. The scene "was gut-wrenching," says an observer. Still, it hasn't dissuaded Wilson from venturing out to hot spots in Manhattan (during his recent visit, the star swung by nightspots Goldbar and Bungalow 8 and dined at the exclusive Waverly Inn), Los Angeles (at a pal's Oct. 26 Halloween bash, he flirted with a brunette in a sailor suit) and Austin, where he hit the bar at the Four Seasons Hotel and hung out with pals at Willie Nelson's ranch.