EPISODE · Jan 16, 2026 · 1H 20M
Dopey in the Family Replay: Dave's Mother-in-law Susan, lies, family, betrayal, heroin, relapse, parenthood, recovery
from Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction · host Dave & Chris
LISTEN WITHOUT ADS AT www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on the CLASSIC Thursday REPLAY!Dave opens with life updates amid heavy grief: prepping for the celebration of life for his father-in-law (Linda’s dad), the car overheating again (mechanic drama continues), and a heartfelt decision to replay a classic “Al-Anon-ic Dopey in the family” episode with his mother-in-law, Sue—the one he calls one of the greatest ever recorded. He reflects on how addiction stories feel triumphant for the addict but painful for the “casualties” (family), shares listener comments on recent replays (including wild rehab tales from Florida), plugs stickers for Spotify comments/reviews, and reads touching emails: Wendy’s condolences + 2-year sober shoutout to Jennifer N (synchronous on Jan 15!), plus her powerful insight on coming clean about kratom/7-OH in AA and discovering others struggling too. Another email from Charlie teases the upcoming kratom documentary “Kratom Side Effects May Include” (screening MLK weekend in NYC) and the dangers of potent 7-OH isolates. The heart of the episode is the full replay of Dave’s emotional, cathartic sit-down with Sue (recorded years ago during COVID era), covering their rocky first impressions, Dave’s early heroin relapse after Nora’s birth, the terrifying custody battles, supervised visits, court drama (Dave showing up high), financial/legal stress, Linda moving back home with Nora for years, Dave’s gradual recovery journey (18 months clean, then true sobriety), rebuilding trust, and the family’s hope that Dave/Linda/Nora could become a unit. Sue shares her perspective as a non-drug-experienced, straight-laced mom/grandma—initial denial, sadness, anger, eventual admiration for Dave’s hard-won sobriety, and deep gratitude for how he became a devoted father/provider. They laugh about Sue’s cookie-stealing, ping-pong lies (she still claims she won!), competitive games, and family adventures gone wrong (like losing Nora/Sue at Gray Fox festival). Ends on hope, surrender, and advice for families: prioritize the grandchild, understand addiction as a disease, hang in there—there’s light at the end (though not always a happy one). Dave closes with love for Sue, reflections on mortality/family. All that and more on a tough loving, good timey hard episode of that good ol dopey show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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What this episode covers
Timecode Notes: 00:00–02:00 — Opening & life updates (car overheating, father-in-law tribute prep, replay decision) 02:00–05:00 — Replay rationale + listener comments on early Dopey eps (rehab chaos, gay cruise legend) 05:00–10:00 — Emails: Wendy’s condolences, 2-year sober shoutout to Jennifer N, kratom honesty in AA, Charlie’s 7-OH warning + kratom doc tease 10:00–13:00 — Transition into Sue interview replay intro (emotional tribute context) 13:00–25:00 — Early impressions: first meetings, drug history reveal, post-birth hospital stress, initial suspicions 25:00–40:00 — Relapse revelation, Linda fleeing to parents, custody battles, court drama, supervised visits, financial/legal strain 40:00–55:00 — Dave’s treatment attempts, 18 months clean, overnights with Nora, rebuilding bond, getting back with Linda 55:00–01:10:00 — Family life now: Sue’s admiration for Dave’s recovery, cigarette quit, house/help, naming Susan after Sue 01:10:00–01:20:00 — Funny family stories: cookie theft, ping-pong lies, Gray Fox “lost in the crowd,” competitive games 01:20:00–End — Advice for families, hope/gratitude, Dave’s reflections on surrender/recovery, acoustic cover of “Wanna Be Good So Bad” (extended raw version)
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Dopey in the Family Replay: Dave's Mother-in-law Susan, lies, family, betrayal, heroin, relapse, parenthood, recovery
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