Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

Episode Notes!DOPEYWOOD COMING!AWESOME EMAILS AND VOICEMAILS!ABBEY:Postpartum anxiety and getting prescribed benzosHer first time using heroin — in sober livingMoving back to Pittsburgh with her dad to get her life togetherBuilding a YouTube following with her daughter MylaDealing with fame, trolls, and the dark side of "sober influencer" cultureWhy she stopped posting her daughter onlineSetting boundaries in co-parentingThe emotional side of recovery, relapse, and internet backlashHer evolving relationship with recovery, privacy, and motherhood🦪 Part 2: Ray the Clammer – A TributeGrowing up on the South Shore, catching clams with his feetFirst time freebasing: “My heart exploded. I fell to my knees. It was great.”Ten years of coke dealing, freebasing, and losing everythingSmoking away all the product, burning bridges, losing his union jobHomeless in NYC, sleeping under Port Authority, working “security” for a pimp named OtisSuicidal thoughts in the subway tunnelsThe moment he didn't jump, and got back on the train to Long IslandBrought home by police as a missing personFinds NA, relapses, gets honest — and stays sober from 1993 until his deathDevoted to service: rides, hotlines, detox speaking, always showing upPassed away with 30 years clean — this recording was his goodbye gift to Dopey Nation  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Doug’s back in the kitchen after nearly dying from a TCI (mini-stroke)Dave compares Doug’s Memorial Day scare to Ray the Clammer’s UTI-induced brain fogRay heads to rehab; Dave wants to publish a book of Ray quotesDoug calls the meeting a “beginner’s asylum”; Dave defends the newcomersRule 62, “start your day over,” and other Rayisms get debatedDave reflects on dirt, struggle, red cardinals, and the poetry of recoveryBagel store confrontation: Dave rolls his eyes and almost gets whackedReddit backlash: Dave reads Dopey Nation critiques of teaser formatFans on Reddit defend the show and say the $5/month is worth itDave tweaks the teaser style and explains his morning social media ritualMentions of Dopey Zooms and upcoming Patreon Zoom nightDave teases birthday content for a future episodeShoutout to Scott Wic aka The Rap God Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fentanyl vs. Heroin: "Trash high"—no legs, not the same rush, felt grateful when heroin disappearedFirst Shot: A friend made him do it for free—"Misery loves company"—then couldn't stopOD Stories: OD'd twice in one day—once behind the wheel on FDR, once after snorting Bronx bags, woke up in hospital, ripped tubes out, lied about asthmaMom's Heart Attack: 4 days after OD, mom has a heart attack from stressHustles: Selling weed, flipping Suboxone, scamming friends, "like a credit card"—balances, fronts, jugglingJam Band Scene: Heavy on acid, ketamine, nitrous, Calvin Klein (coke + K), LSD handling mishap at Camp Bisco led to paranoia for a weekMethadone Clinic Madness: Working in the clinic, finding crack pipes, wild characters, hustles in the waiting roomRecovery Pivot: Got clean after the ferry breakup, went to White Deer Run, cut methadone taper on day 3, Old Testament-level detox, started working the 12 steps, counselor Heath changed his lifeWorking in Treatment: From the methadone clinic to Ascendant, saw the whole spectrumWriting: Wrote Slingshot Diaries in Maryland, self-published hundreds of copies, found purposeReflection: Raw honesty, doesn’t glorify but doesn’t hide it either—“thank God for grace and mercy” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

👉 Sign up for Patreon at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastGet bonus episodes, access to Dopey Zooms, exclusive merch, and support the Dopey mission. It’s cheap, it’s fun, it’s how we keep this sick show going. $5 a month = stickers + bonus shows. $8 = ad-free shows. $10 = video extras. $15 = stickers, socks, Ray Brown’s pubes (kidding… maybe).Be a Dopey patron, stay strong, and fucking toodles for Chris. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

🎸 Steve Poltz returns! From meth psychosis to music on the mountain🧠 Touring with Shane MacGowan and snorting meth off his thumbnail🏨 Destroying hotel rooms across Australia (banned from Quest Apartments!)💡 20 years in recovery: why Steve stopped going to meetings🎤 Using music and stage time to carry the message😡 Dave and Steve debate Bob Weir and John Mayer (spoiler: Dave hates Bobby)💩 Dorm blackout story: naked in the hallway💌 Emails from South Africa, 10-year sober milestones, kratom struggles🏀 Knicks fan rant with Devin, post-loss meltdown🕍 Jewish guilt, moil trauma, and the power of a Nashville Seder🎵 Poltz performs “Shine On” live + bonus track at the end📦 Shoutout to Poppasmurf for shipping Dopey merch📣 Thanks to Oro Recovery, Mountainside, Recovery Unplugged, Safe Spot, and CustomStickers.com (use code DOPEY20)🎨 Dopey art shoutouts: Brita, Piz, Edward, James Glennie, Chrissy, and all the Dopey Nation Zoomers  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

🚗 Taped live from Doug’s Subaru in front of Dave’s house📬 Sarah’s amazing weed and recovery email🏀 Dave curses out Celtics fans at a recovery music festival🍩 Entenmann's, gout, and Doug’s ongoing battle with saturated fat📢 Heart Attack Doug refuses to share in meetings but Zooms all over the West Coast🎸 Shout outs to Steve Poltz, Anders Osborne, and the ghost of Billy Strings🧈 Too much butter, not enough cardio🤡 Dave bombs as an MC, then redeems himself with “fuck the Celtics”🌈 Love is the answer, let your freak flag fly, and fuckin’ toodles for Chris Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

🏥 Doctor shopping on the UWS, Florida pill mills, and the $300/week FedEx Oxy plan🧬 Coke, klonopin, benzos, nodding out mid-Xbox match, screaming at his roommate📦 Upper West Side methadone clinic and snorting dope on the Staten Island ferry📸 Starting “@immaeatthis” on a subway ride—going viral, getting paid, and staying sober🧸 Emotional amends, dumb lies (Blackwater contractor? really?), and hope through service🎉 Dave celebrates Susan’s 7th birthday with a musical performance📨 Emails from Montreal bus drivers, Bayshore pill seekers, and Dopey lifers🧦 Send in a voicemail = socks? Maybe. Stickers? Definitely.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Knicks vs. Celtics playoff madnessDave vs. “New York City Dave”Shout out to Boston Dave G (but still, fuck Boston)Is The Last of Us now just lesbian Eat Pray Love?Getting recognized on the street (and overstaying the moment)Ray's Grindr adventures: “I clean toilets and give BJs”Anti-aging meds, eye lifts, and midlife crisis merch dropsMusic segment: “Good So Bad” live from the studioDopey Wood lineup updates: Darrell Hammond OUT, the rest still INCome to DopeyWOOD!— tickets are free! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

🏀 Knicks Playoff Fever: Dave opens the show celebrating the Knicks’ win over the Celtics and his deep attachment to the team.🌸 Family Time: Dave spends the day with his daughter Susan, planting flowers and reflecting on fatherhood.🧂 Mustard Seed Parable: Conversation with Mike’s Amazing Mustard leads to a deeper discussion about hope in recovery.🚨 Josh C. Update: Following a drug task force raid, former Toodles for Chris scholarship recipient Josh Clark is arrested for meth, LSD, and DMT but secures a scholarship to Divided Sky rehab in Vermont.🤖 AI Frustrations: Dave vents about ChatGPT fabricating a story about Chris smoking crack out of a shrimp shell – a made-up detail that cost him money in clip production.📞 Prison Voicemail from Polly: Shocking account of sharing needles with hundreds of inmates, smuggling ass tobacco, and the grim reality of hepatitis spread in prison.🎤 Sam Miller’s Story:Childhood trauma and gas huffing at age six.Selling liquid LSD drops at 15, including putting acid directly into his eyes.Meth addiction while working at a puppy mill, witnessing a MRSA outbreak that killed puppies.Suicidal thoughts and a near-death experience involving a stolen car and being tied to a chair by a best friend.Clarity moment: Waking up under a tarp, realizing his life was in shambles, and walking miles to his mom’s house to beg for help.Early recovery: Living in a trailer, reading books by the light of a Game Boy, and attending multiple 12-step meetings daily.Sam’s rise in comedy, the first open mic feeling like the first high, and the healing power of storytelling.Friends lost to overdose, including the haunting phone call from Justin pretending to shoot himself.🎭 Sam on Comedy: Finding the sweet spot between dark humor and trauma, and how comedy became his new addiction.🚀 Dopey Wood Announcement: Dopey Wood event in four weeks – tickets are free for Dopey Nation.🧦 Dopey Merch & Sponsors: Shoutout to customstickers.com, where Dopey Nation can get 20% off using code Dopey20.🔥 Closing Segment: Dave reminds listeners to leave a review, join Patreon, and stay strong, Dopey Nation. Toodles for Chris. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Whats on Patreon:Adam’s chaotic childhood, bullying, and getting high at 12Smoking weed with an abusive friend’s stepdadGetting beat with wrenches, sent to institutions, and almost stabbedDropping acid at school, zeroing hits, playing in bandsCoke binges in L.A. writing sessions — snorting lines off Beyoncé plaquesSpiritual bottom after playing South by Southwest and weeping during ElfRecovery Unplugged, NA, and finding purpose through musicA live performance of his song SaviorThe Elsewhere program and recovery on the roadHis thoughts on music, God, and staying clean through service Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.