Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

Listen without ads on patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey! We kick things off catching up with Dopey Nation, talking recovery, life, and the strange little community that's grown around this dumb podcast on drugs, addiction, and dumb shit. We dive into a listener voicemail about loving an addict, codependency, and the painful reality that sometimes helping someone means stepping back. As always, there's plenty of laughter, honesty, and reminders that none of us have to do this alone. Then Ben Croxton sits down and tells one of the wildest stories we've ever featured. Ben grew up homeschooled in rural Alabama before drugs completely hijacked his life. What started with weed turned into pills, OxyContin, cocaine, meth, and eventually heroin. He talks about getting kicked out of homeschool for smoking weed, discovering drug culture while working at Outback Steakhouse, stealing anything that wasn't nailed down, shooting cocaine at eighteen years old, smoking meth out of homemade light bulbs, surviving overdoses, watching friends get murdered over meth deals, and somehow waking up every day to do it all again. Somehow, it doesn't end there. Ben eventually finds recovery, rebuilds his life one day at a time, and becomes one of the people behind the scenes helping Dopey grow into the community it is today. It's funny, heartbreaking, completely unfiltered, and a reminder that no matter how far things go, recovery is still possible. PLUS MORE! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

NO ADS on PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey! Dave opens in a reflective mood before vacation, trying to practice gratitude while also admitting how ridiculous and uncomfortable it feels. He gives thanks to the Dopey team, Dopey Nation, the people who helped with the film festival, and talks about being sober, scrambling to get shows done, House of the Dragon, and crying on the Long Island Railroad while watching the Knicks finals mini movie. Then Dave gets into revenge, resentment, recovery, redemption, and the dangerous romance of “getting back.” He plays a wild voicemail from a Scottish Dopey listener coming off opiates, who tells a story about buying a house, snorting heroin before move-in day, doing coke, champagne, and Ritalin while moving furniture, crashing a van, watching his friend get arrested, and then finishing the move on a days-long stimulant binge. Then it’s a classic Dopey replay with Michael Todd, former bassist of Coheed and Cambria. Michael tells the story of going from prescription painkillers on tour to OxyContin, heroin, shooting coke and dope, leaving the band, rejoining clean, relapsing, smuggling heroin across the country in Gobstopper boxes, robbing a pharmacy in Massachusetts, getting arrested, losing the band for good, dealing with cancer, shame, probation, relapse, Suboxone, and surviving a suicide attempt. It’s one of the rawest Dopey conversations ever: rock stardom, addiction, shame, survival, recovery, and Dave’s newly coined phrase — radical gratitude. PLUS MORE!!!! MORE! MORE!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listen without ads on patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast DopeyCon looks like 10/2 This week on the Wednesday Dose of Dopey! Dave opens the show with Ben Croxton's classic DopeyCon song before sharing updates on planning DopeyCon 7 and asking the Dopey Nation to help make this year's event the biggest one yet. Along the way, he plays a listener voicemail about an unforgettable acid trip at Minnesota's Jungle Love festival, talks about psychedelic-assisted recovery, patience, tolerance, and the importance of keeping your mouth shut in sobriety, reads one of the darkest emails ever sent to the show, and follows it up with a hilarious listener story about drunken newspaper deliveries and sibling chaos. Then actor, interventionist, and recovery advocate Dominic Cianese Jr.—the son of Sopranos legend Dominic Chianese (Uncle Junior)—joins Dave for an honest conversation about growing up in Brooklyn, discovering drugs through the punk rock scene, heroin addiction, relapse, recovery, and the intervention that ultimately changed his life. They dive into behind-the-scenes stories from The Sopranos, James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, acting, stand-up comedy, and why helping other addicts has become Dominic's life's work. It's a funny, emotional, and deeply hopeful conversation about addiction, family, redemption, and building a life beyond your wildest dreams.  All that and more or less another summer hiatus dopey show! Thoughts? write us at [email protected] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

whole episode only on patreon : www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Dave and special guest are back for another gloriously ridiculous Dopey Tuesday. This week they celebrate Christmas in July with a twisted holiday song before diving into heroin poppies, opium tea, Bob Dylan rumors, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, and Dave's latest Hollywood masterpiece: Christmas at Katz's. They also kick off a conversation about the first-ever Dopey Short Recovery Film Festival before the paywall comes crashing down.   To hear Ray's full review of the film festival, the birth of "The Dopeys," listener emails, Zoe's voicemail, Elvis, and a whole lot more dumb shit, head over to Patreon and join the Dopey Nation Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PATREON WITHOUT ADS: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast AI SUMMARY: This week on the Dopey Replay, Dave revisits Episode 35—the first true celebrity interview in Dopey history—with House of Pain co-founder Danny Boy O'Connor. Before the interview, Dave shares the story of meeting Danny Boy at Katz's Delicatessen, reads a voicemail from a listener who overdosed after sneaking back into work to retrieve heroin from his desk, and shares another unbelievable Dopey Nation story involving meth, a .357 revolver, and a self-inflicted gunshot wound.   **Then Danny Boy joins Dave and Chris for an epic conversation about the rise of House of Pain, recording "Jump Around," getting kicked off tour with the Beastie Boys, watching Everlast's solo career explode, and his own descent into alcoholism, cocaine, methamphetamine addiction, homelessness, and despair. Danny Boy explains how recovery transformed his life, leading him to restore the legendary Outsiders house in Tulsa and find purpose beyond fame. It's one of the earliest—and still one of the most inspiring—celebrity recovery stories ever told on Dopey. ALl that and MORE! on a super old yet simultaneous new episode of that old old old dopey show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PATREON IS HERE: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey! We kick things off with the aftermath of the first-ever Dopey Short Recovery Film Festival—Dave’s post-event crash, gratitude, Knicks withdrawal, listener emails, Dean Moda Patreon comments, meth-sex insanity, Monkey Man research, and a wild voicemail about shooting someone up for the first time. Then Dr. Reef Karim comes on! They explore why Dopey works as an underdog podcast, creativity in recovery, building an addiction treatment center that blended psychiatry with spirituality, and why storytelling may be one of the most powerful recovery tools available. Reef opens up about walking away from a successful career in medicine after severe burnout, chronic pain, and anxiety led him to question everything. That journey eventually took him into the Amazon with Gabor Maté for an unforgettable ayahuasca retreat, where he experienced terrifying visions, confronted years of accumulated trauma, and ultimately found a new direction for his life. Dave and Reef also dive into ketamine, ibogaine, psychedelics in addiction treatment, authenticity versus attachment, cognitive flexibility, recovery as a lifelong process, and whether there's ever such a thing as being "fully recovered." Plus Dave closes the show with updates on the family road trip, DopeyCon planning, Safe Spot overdose prevention, and more. ALL THAT AND MORE! On this less than completely dopey new episode of the good old dopey show! Excelsior! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey's Greatest Hits, Dave looks back on one of the most unforgettable interviews in the show's history with Miami nightlife legend Ingrid Casares. Before the classic conversation begins, Dave recaps the incredible success of the inaugural Dopey Recovery Short Film Festival, from a nearly sold-out crowd and appearances by James Frey, Kevin McEnroe, Aaron Carr, Ray Brown, Pete the Plumber, and more, to his early morning appearance on Good Day New York. He thanks everyone who attended, promises an even bigger festival next year, hints at a future DopeyCon in the same theater, reads listener emails and Patreon comments, debates Tesla versus ska music, and shares plans to keep releasing daily episodes while his family heads out on vacation. Then comes one of Dopey's all-time greatest recovery stories. Ingrid Casares tells the unbelievable story of growing up in Miami, discovering cocaine in the early 1980s, repeatedly trying rehab before she was ready, stealing an ounce and a half of cocaine from a college dealer, becoming a drug mule between Miami and North Carolina, freebasing across the Southeast, surviving terrifying cocaine paranoia, and eventually finding recovery. She explains how sobriety led her into the music business, introduced her to Sandra Bernhard and Madonna, and eventually helped launch the legendary Miami clubs Liquid, Bar Room, and Joy, helping transform South Beach into an international nightlife destination. Along the way she shares stories involving Sean Penn, Whitney Houston, Donald Trump, the Versace era of Miami, celebrity excess, relapse, prescription opioids, alcohol, and ultimately finding lasting recovery after decades of chaos. It's one of the wildest cocaine stories ever told on Dopey—and one of the most honest conversations about relapse, reinvention, fame, and recovery.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

JOIN PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on The Wednesday Dose of Dopey! We talk the spiritual axiom, stress, anger, and trying to stay connected when recovery feels stale. He reads an intense email from Justin about quitting 7-OH, including brutal withdrawals, relapse cycles, and the strange misery of coming off something marketed as harmless. Then DJ Fat Tony returns to Dopey to talk about his new book, Recover Me, and the deeper recovery work he found after nearly 20 years sober. Tony opens up about trauma therapy, childhood sexual abuse, sex addiction, toxic relationships, Grindr, shame, ego, meetings becoming “The Tony Show,” and how he had to step back from meetings to actually work the program again. Dave and Tony dig into sex addiction, apps, cruising, recovery addiction, resentment, prayer, honesty, father wounds, and why real recovery has to keep evolving. They also celebrate Tony’s global campaign to reclaim the word cunt, because of course they do. All that and much more on this Wednesday Episode of Dopey!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lst chance for Film Fest tickets: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 PAtreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey, Dave opens the show with a meditation on the Rolling Stones’ “Monkey Man,” junkie music, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, and the impossibility of legally buying an MP3 in 2026. He also gets hyped for the first Dopey Short Recovery Film Festival, talks about bringing big ideas into reality through recovery, and reminds listeners to reach out for Narcan, fentanyl test strips, treatment help, stories, and voicemails. Then Dopey Nation delivers some truly insane listener stories: Danny B writes in about smoking crack and accidentally pulling a red-hot cherry through his stem into the back of his throat; JD D. Hart tells an all-time bath salts story involving paranoia, hiding drugs in his ass, a stuck vial, friends rescuing it with surgical gloves, and somehow winding up with hepatitis A, E, and C; and another listener shares a meth-fueled poop-in-a-bowl story that ends with shattered glass and hard poop in the basement. Dave also reads Patreon and Spotify comments on the Mishka Shubaly episode, including reactions to resentment, God, Trump, Mark Lanegan, liquid meth, the Bailey Dopey theme song, and whether Mishka came off as brilliant, annoying, or both. Then Dave sits down with beauty creator, recovery advocate, and Moda Smile founder Dean Moda for one of the most powerful and intense interviews in Dopey history. Dean talks about growing up in Brooklyn with Trinidadian and Panamanian parents, being gay, getting bullied, discovering weed, FIT, early sex work, squatting in Bushwick, and eventually being unknowingly introduced to crystal meth during a traumatic hookup that ended in sexual assault. Dean shares how that night opened the door to years inside New York’s chemsex scene, where crystal meth, sex, shame, danger, and trauma became impossible to separate. He talks about meth psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations, PCP-laced joints, treatment attempts, relapse, Greenhouse Treatment Center in Texas, Crystal Meth Anonymous, and the moment he finally understood that one hit would always lead to more. It is a brutal, funny, honest, deeply vulnerable story of trauma, addiction, identity, survival, and recovery — plus somehow, teeth whitening. PLUS MORE MORE MORE! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

FILM FEST TIX: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast workithealth.com/dopey This week on Dopey Wednesday,! We begin with a Father’s Day rant about dads texting each other, calls his father Alan live on the show, argues about masculinity, the Knicks championship, post-Knicks withdrawal, the Dopey Film Festival, and whether Seymour is allowed to come. Dave also reads Patreon and Spotify comments about Todd’s sister Allie, Todd’s apartment, Dopey socks, and listener reactions. Then the episode shifts into a live Workit Health/Dopey event with the great Amy “Dopey Dres” Dresner, author of My Fair Junkie. Amy talks brutally and hilariously about long-term recovery when life does not magically become beautiful: losing her father, mother, and cat in a short period of time, checking herself into a psych ward with ten years sober, surviving suicidal ideation, epilepsy, seizures, brain meds, isolation, grief, and the nightmare comedy of American healthcare. Dave and Amy get into harm reduction, MAT, 12-step recovery, writing through trauma, being funny in the middle of misery, shame, forgiveness, isolation, suicidal thoughts, and why connection is still the only real way out. It’s classic Dopey: funny, dark, honest, messy, sad, useful, and somehow hopeful. All that and more on a weird new dopey! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Film Festival Tickets: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 FULL EPISODE ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary   This week on Dopey Tuesday, Dave welcomes back his old friend Doug for another session. Dave admits he's stressed out trying to bank ten episodes before vacation while also preparing for the upcoming Dopey Film Festival. The pressure, combined with everyday disasters, has turned him into a basket case.   Dave tells the story of joining a local gym and getting evaluated by the massively muscular trainer Joe. Everything goes smoothly until a set of lunges leaves Dave convinced he tore his hamstring during the assessment itself. Despite his injuries and insecurities, he signs up for personal training and dreams of eventually turning his basement into his own home gym.   The guys revisit Dave's infamous barber story and discuss how comments made on the podcast always seem to find their way back to the people involved. Dave also vents about his mounting list of problems, including blowing out Linda's bicycle tire, Winnie destroying the screen door, and his general inability to keep up with life.   Doug takes heat for missing meetings and for potentially skipping the Dopey Film Festival, while Dave complains that Doug is supposed to be helping recruit attendees. All that and more on the teaser - liste n to the full show on patreon!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dopey Recovery Short Film Festival https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Patreon - www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast   Summary   This week on the Dopey replay, Dave opens the show melting in a ninety-degree attic after removing his ugly window air conditioners and battling his third malfunctioning Rodecaster. He spirals through equipment frustration, a failed attempt to recruit an actress from The Pitt, and his anxiety about banking ten episodes before vacation, before reminding himself that gratitude and acceptance are the answer.   Dave promotes the June 26th Dopey Film Festival and reads heartfelt emails from listeners who discovered Dopey after Chris's death and have been listening from the beginning. He reflects on the murder of Dopey legend DJ Don, discussing the tragic circumstances surrounding his death and how loss remains an unavoidable part of making a podcast about addiction.   The replay itself features classic chemistry between Dave and Chris with special guest "Vinny," an old friend and longtime stoner. The episode wanders hilariously through stand-up comedy, Leonardo DiCaprio encounters, Perrier pronunciation debates, and Chris's legendary stories before landing on the centerpiece: Vinny's unbelievable Amsterdam LSD tale.   While studying abroad, Vinny and a group of fellow Americans drop acid in Amsterdam. One of them, "Tok," completely loses his mind, strips naked in a coffee shop, searches for his dog "Java," swings at strangers, gets whipped by two random guys carrying sex whips, and ultimately ends up handcuffed and sleeping it off in a Dutch jail. By morning, Tok remembers absolutely nothing.   The replay closes with stories about Dave bombing at open mic comedy, Chris reliving disgusting drunk escapades, and the timeless chemistry that made early Dopey such a cult classic.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Film Festival Tickets: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey! We continue to celebrate the Knicks championship, we prepare for the ticker tape parade, and share a pair of horrifying junkie stories involving blue toilet water and fabric softener injections. We promotes the upcoming Dopey Recovery Film Festival and we read comments from the Brandon Novak episode before sitting down with acclaimed musician and author Mishka Shubaly. Mishka opens up about growing up with a distant father, surviving a school shooting, discovering alcohol at 14, leaving home at 15, and falling into a life of heavy drinking and self-destruction. He talks about moving to New York, shipwrecking in the Bahamas, surviving by drinking his own urine from a hard hat, and eventually quitting alcohol without rehab or AA. The conversation explores writing, music, Bukowski, Mark Lanegan, Pink Floyd, resentment, running, dogs, hunting, atheism, and recovery. Mishka explains how ultra-distance running became his own recovery program and why community remains the missing piece in his sobriety. All that and somehow a ton more - on the brand new episode of that good old dopey show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Film Festival: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey Greatest Hits,! Dave dusts off one of the biggest episodes in the show's history as the Dopey Patreon votes Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe to the top of the poll. Before the interview, Dave celebrates Ray Brown’s legendary “Home Sweet Heroine,” reflects on working Step Eight with a sponsee, and shares another gratitude story involving his father. Then Jules the Cocaine Bear delivers a classic disaster tale involving cocaine, drunken party crashing, a switchblade, British police, and a miraculous escape from drug charges. Kimber King joins the show to react to comments from her replay episode, discuss Wednesday Zoom antics, laugh about bizarre drug combinations, promote Safe Spot, and celebrate the Knicks' championship run. The two revisit old stories and joke about everything from meth vapes to foot fetishes and Suboxone flavors. The centerpiece of the episode is Dave’s epic conversation with Nikki Sixx. Nikki discusses twenty-plus years of sobriety, fatherhood, moving to Wyoming, writing The First 21, and how creativity replaced addiction. He opens up about childhood trauma, being introduced to drugs at an early age, selling “chocolate mescaline,” discovering heroin, and surviving the darkest years chronicled in The Heroin Diaries. Nikki reflects on Mötley Crüe’s forty-year journey, his friendships with Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones, the monster of addiction that never dies, and why he continues to share his story in hopes of helping others. The interview finishes with a rapid-fire rock and roll quiz before Dave signs off after his dog nearly attacks an Amazon delivery guy. PLUS MORE!!!!!                 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

FILM FESTIVAL TICKETS: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary: This week on the Wednesday Dose of Dopey, Dave marks eight years since the death of his close friend Todd Curry, who died from a fentanyl overdose. To honor Todd’s memory, Dave brings on Todd’s sister, Allie Curry, for a deeply personal conversation about grief, family, addiction, denial, and what it feels like to lose someone so loved, complicated, funny, and unforgettable. Before the conversation, Dave shares updates about the Knicks championship, the upcoming Dopey Short Film Festival, Patreon Zooms, Narcan and fentanyl test strips, and reads a classic Dopey story about winning free Detroit Tigers tickets, scamming free t-shirts, smoking crack behind a dumpster, trying to go to Canada, and getting banned from the country. Then Dave and Allie talk about Todd’s life, his Dopey appearances, his humor, his family role, his addiction, and the strange pain of remembering someone eight years later. Allie reflects on how Todd’s birthday can feel harder than the anniversary of his death, how her kids remember him, how her parents handled his addiction and death, and how family denial and shame shaped so much of the experience. Dave remembers Todd as one of the foundational characters in Dopey history: the friend who called into the show without knowing he was being recorded, the hilarious storyteller, the hustler, the lost soul, and the person whose pain and charm became part of the show’s DNA. Together, Dave and Allie explore the impossible questions around enabling, tough love, interventions, family secrets, and the strange ways grief stays alive. It’s a bittersweet episode about keeping people alive by remembering them, telling the truth, laughing when possible, and honoring the people we lost to addiction. All that and more on the new Dopey! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Full Episode on Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast FILM FESTIVAL TICKETS: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Summary: This week on Dopey Tuesday, Dave sits down with Dopey Nation favorite Trinity for a hilarious, awkward, and surprisingly heartfelt conversation that serves as the setup to her deeper recovery story on Patreon. Trinity explains how she first came to the beach meeting while secretly addicted to dextromethorphan (DXM), carrying fake sober time, and trying to figure out how to get clean. She talks about discovering Dopey after seeing Dave and Handsome Evan recording at the beach and eventually becoming a fixture in Dopey Zoom and the larger Dopey community.   The conversation quickly turns into a brutally honest critique of Dopey's YouTube channel, with Trinity explaining why the audio version works so well and why the video version needs help. Along the way they discuss eye contact, recovery awkwardness, Heart Attack Doug, Dopey Zoom, listener comments, the Knicks, softball, college, selling weed in Huntington, rolling blunts, and whether Tuesdays with Doug are significantly gayer than Tuesdays with Ray.   A reading from Just For Today about resistance to change sparks a genuine conversation about fear, complacency, recovery, and the challenges of building a new life in sobriety. Dave reflects on Trinity's growth and reminds her that despite her fears she's built 227 days sober by continuing to take action and ask for help. The episode closes with Trinity performing an emotional cover of Good So Bad, the song that first connected her to Dopey and inspired her recovery journey.     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Film Festival Tickets: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Episode Summary This week on the Dopey Replay, Dave reflects on the bittersweet anniversary of Todd Curry's fentanyl overdose death, celebrates the Knicks' first NBA Championship in 53 years, and remembers beloved Dopey contributor DJ Don Jr. Rentz, who was tragically murdered last summer. Then the replay rolls back to one of the most legendary episodes in Dopey history. DJ tells the unbelievable story of becoming addicted to prescription opioids as a teenager, forging prescriptions, stealing 1,000 Vicodin from a pharmacy where he worked, and getting caught on his 18th birthday. Along the way, Dave shares his classic 9/11 methadone clinic story, Chris talks crack and recovery, and the guys dive deep into addiction, recovery, friendship, and the madness that made early Dopey so unforgettable. A true Dopey classic featuring Chris, Dave, and the unforgettable DJ Dopey Don Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dopey Film Festival Tickets: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey! Dave battles Long Island summer heat, conquers a dead rat under his porch, rescues Susan's escaped corn snake Noodle, and prepares for the upcoming Dopey Short Film Festival. Along the way he shares a wild voicemail involving fake liquid LSD, sweaty molly, and a hard-earned lesson in not ripping people off. Did we read this cat shit one before????? Dave reads listener comments from the beloved Kelly P episode before welcoming recovery legend Brandon Novak back to Dopey. Novak celebrates 11 years sober and dives deep into his journey from heroin addiction and Viva La Bam chaos to running treatment centers and helping others recover. The conversation gets even better when Novak calls his Dreamseller co-author Joe Frantz, who tells unbelievable stories about Novak stealing his own books from a bookstore signing to buy drugs, disappearing with advances, losing his phone, and the reality of filming during the darkest years of addiction. Together they reflect on Bam Margera, recovery, friendship, forgiveness, and the long road from self-destruction to redemption. Plus: Grateful Dead stories, funeral plots, methadone and Xanax, treatment philosophy, Joe Biden sightings, and why this might be the greatest Brandon Novak appearance in Dopey history. AND MORE!!!!!! on a super fun new installment of that good old dopey show! https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Film Festival: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary This week on Thursday's Greatest Hits! We open with a Knicks comeback story and ties it to recovery ("you can't quit"), then announces the Dopey Film Festival and shouts out the Baldini family. After reading listener comments and a wild listener email from "Stan the Man" in London (a multi-day cocaine/orgy/LSD bender), Dave plays a Greatest Hits episode featuring Kimber King — a returning guest and harm reduction hotline worker who became known for shooting fentanyl into her neck and calling for help. Kimber's interview traces her full addiction arc: drinking at 12, Adderall at 14, cocaine with her mom and brother, her brother's brutal murder at 24 (she was 17), heroin at 22, meth in rural Georgia, an Aryan Brotherhood compound, a "magical nasal spray cocktail" of fentanyl/coke/ketamine/Xanax, multiple overdoses, evictions, a blind boyfriend who stole her car, and finally — surrender at a detox intake desk, sobbing and telling the truth. Now two years sober with a baby daughter and her mom living with her, Kimber works in harm reduction and crisis intervention. ALL THAT AND MOREEEEEEEEEE!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary This Week on Dopey! Dave opens the show reflecting on hosting the Phoenix House Soiree and presenting Hank Azaria with an award in the same neighborhood where he once bought heroin nearly 30 years earlier. He talks about gratitude, recovery, shame, redemption, and how addiction and recovery both shaped his life. Dave reads listener emails featuring cocaine cravings, crack addiction, federal charges, acid smuggling, trap houses, prostitution, and early recovery. Montana Ruckman sends in another brutally honest “day in the life” letter from prison describing drug hustling, scams, theft, hookups, and the loneliness of active addiction. Dave also reads Spotify and Patreon comments reacting to the Zoe Hansen episode and the backlash to Amanda de Cadenet, with listeners praising Zoe’s warmth, storytelling, and voice. Then Margaret Cho returns to Dopey for one of the funniest and most honest recovery conversations in recent memory. Margaret talks about approaching 10 years sober, her intervention, rehab, kratom addiction, dry scooping kratom powder, benzo withdrawal, seizures, meth fascination, weed reservations, psychedelic therapy, boofing weed lube, and the strange fantasy of someday growing opium poppies in a psychedelic garden. Dave and Margaret bond over romanticizing drugs, relapse fears, and the dangerous line between humor and real addiction. They discuss ketamine therapy, Bill Wilson taking LSD, Hamilton Morris, the Nick Reiner tragedy, death in recovery culture, and why addicts “walk with death.” The conversation also drifts into Snoop Dogg blunt culture, bong rituals, Errowid drug hacks, and the weird creativity and mythology surrounding addiction. ALL THAT AND MUCH MUCH MORE ON ABRAND NEW EPISODE OF THAT GOOD OLD DOPEY SHOW! Check out workit health at www.workithealth.com   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS ON PATREON for 25 cents a day www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Episode Summary Dave opens this week’s Dopey Greatest Hits by explaining the Patreon poll that lets listeners choose classic replay episodes. After Jason Ricci lost a last-minute battle to Dr. Gabor Maté the previous week, this week’s theme becomes “kids of famous people,” featuring guests like Jack Osbourne, Mackenzie Phillips, Dwayne Betts, and ultimately the winner: Gilbert Trejo, son of actor Danny Trejo. Dave reads Spotify and Patreon comments reacting to the Jason Ricci replay, including discussions about bipolar disorder, darkness, spirituality, demonology, and the Amanda de Cadenet backlash episode. Tommy from Long Island then calls in with a crack-smoking Dopey story involving a lost $20 bag hidden underneath the center console of a late-90s Toyota Corolla. Dave also reads a brutally honest listener email criticizing the early days of Dopey for chewing into microphones, interruptions, phone ringing, and lack of structure — which Dave both defends and reflects on emotionally. The episode then shifts into a deep and emotional conversation with filmmaker and recovering heroin addict Gilbert Trejo. Gilbert talks about growing up in Venice Beach as Danny Trejo’s son, being raised around AA meetings, childhood exposure to recovery culture, fighting, punk rock, skating, and eventually spiraling into heroin addiction. He shares horrifying overdose stories, including trying to revive his best friend while covered in blood, discusses his film From A Son, and reflects on the strange mixture of toughness, secrecy, masculinity, fear, and identity that shaped his addiction. Gilbert and Dave connect deeply over losing close friends to overdose, the mythology of junkie friendships, and the challenge of telling drug stories honestly without glorifying them. The conversation also covers heroin romance, Panic in Needle Park, Venice gang culture, punk shows, crack smoking, addiction genetics, hiding drug use from family, and the relief of eventually becoming comfortable in his own skin. It’s one of the rawest and most thoughtful Dopey conversations about addiction, masculinity, survival, and recovery.  ALL THAT AND MORE ON THIS NEW OLD EPISODE! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS FOR 25 CENTS A DAY at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Episode Summary This week on the Wednesday Dose! Dave opens the Wednesday Dose of Dopey talking about Patreon backlash over Selby’s heavy breathing during the Tuesday Patreon show, his hatred for the newest season of Euphoria, Lena Dunham’s audiobook, Knicks obsession, and getting ready to emcee the Phoenix House gala honoring Hank Azaria. He then reads an email from a Scottish listener who got sober from alcohol after discovering Dopey through This American Life, but later spiraled into opioids, heroin, and benzos before finally trying to get clean again after hearing DJ’s episode. Then Dave dives into a massive pile of brutal Spotify and Patreon comments reacting to the Amanda de Cadenet episode, with listeners calling her “insufferable,” “guarded,” “pretentious,” and “the worst guest ever,” while others defend her and praise Dave for surviving the awkward interview. The episode shifts into a long and funny conversation with comedian Zach Noe Towers. Zach talks about growing up gay in Missouri, discovering weed through theater kids, using alcohol and drugs to quiet fear and insecurity, moving to Los Angeles, rich gay party culture, ecstasy at Indiana University, Coachella mushroom disasters, being trapped in the trunk of a drug dealer’s car, and eventually getting sober after years of chaotic partying and emotional bottoming out. Dave and Zach also talk comedy, AA, twink culture, Midwestern niceness, gay identity, stand-up anxiety, and planning the Dopeywood Comedy Store show. PLUS MORE! on the brand new Wednesday Dose of Dopey!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN TO FULL EPISODE AT www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast 📝 Summary   This episode of Dopey blends recovery updates, dark humor, and one of the most bizarre drug stories ever told on the show. Selby celebrates 101 days sober and reflects on a powerful in-person group inventory, while Cormac opens up about hitting a wall in long-term recovery and rebooting his physical and spiritual health through meetings and a new fitness routine.   The episode takes a surreal turn when Cormac recounts a detailed and unsettling story from his past experimenting with research chemicals, including dissociatives and unconventional methods of use. The conversation explores the psychology of dissociation, addiction, and the illusion of control that comes with “safer” drug use.   Dave shares updates on the Dopey Fitness Challenge, struggles with sugar, and reads listener feedback, including praise, criticism, and ongoing debate about fan-favorite guest “Heart Attack Doug.” PLUS A SMIDGE MORE ON THE NEW DOPEY TUESDAY TEASE - listen to more on patreon!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS FOR 25 Cents a day! www.patron.com/dopeypodcast Episode Summary Total Replay #25! Dave opens Monday’s Dopey Total Replay by revisiting Dopey Episode 25 from April 2016, titled Cocaine Overdose, Prince. Before the replay, he talks about plans for the Dopey Recovery Film Festival in Manhattan, Patreon perks, the Tuesday Reddit Roundup with Selby and Cormac, and addresses listener reactions to a previous sex-and-love addiction email. He then reads a powerful email from Willow about long-term recovery through Sex Addicts Anonymous and finding sobriety after years of relapse. Next comes a wild voicemail from Bailey in Chicago involving the world’s worst drug dealer, accidental crack purchases, a drunken camping trip, bachelor party chaos, abortion scam drama, crack smoking in a tent, and jumping out of a moving truck. Dave then reads Spotify and Patreon comments before launching the classic replay. In the 2016 episode, Dave and Chris react to Prince’s death, speculate about addiction, and Chris repeatedly confuses Prince with Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury. They spiral into nonsense about Annie Lennox, Blondie, dancing, and music ignorance. Then Chris tells the main event: a brutal cocaine overdose story involving shooting a huge amount of coke in a bathroom, collapsing violently, a neighbor breaking the door down, and Chris still worrying about hiding the remaining cocaine instead of dying. The episode ends with more chaotic drug stories, sleepwalking on ketamine, early Dopey banter, and one of the first appearances of Chris saying “toodles.” Dave returns afterward reflecting on Chris, the strange beauty of these old recordings, and invites listeners to stay involved with Dopey Nation. On a Brand New 10 Year old episode of ye good olden dopey sho. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dopey wood tickets: https://www.showclix.com/event/dopeywood-2026 Full Episode: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast   On this Dopey Tuesday, Dave and Heart Attack Doug remember Cross Talk Larry — the vegetarian, money-collecting, sweat-soaked meeting staple who felt like he’d always been there… until he wasn’t. They talk about the fleeting nature of life in AA, the uncomfortable debate about flowers and donations, and whether sobriety protects you from dying (spoiler: it doesn’t). Plus: The air fryer conspiracy. Raw chicken legs. A relapse email that hits hard. The realization that your mind can still try to destroy you — even sober. And Dave puts Doug on the spot about sponsorship, step work, and what’s actually keeping him sober now. AI NOTES AND GRAPHICS - SORRY EVERYONE! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This Week on The Wednesday Dose of Dopey!Dave kicks off this Wednesday Dose solo from his dad's house, riffing on nostalgic broke-addict snacks (Little Debbie oatmeal pies as cheap highs) and weird fridge finds, before diving into fan Spotify comments praising last week's emotional Erin Khar episode. He shares wild Miles Davis coke-paranoia excerpts from the autobiography (Ferrari abandonment, trash-room hiding, dealer tricks), and recommending Kind of Blue and In a Silent Way as sick sick records!Then we welcome Sandra Vergara (Selling Sunset star, Sofia Vergara's cousin/sister-figure). Sandra opens up about a traumatic Colombian childhood: brother's murder at age 9, raised by an aunt after her bio-mom's brain damage left her mentally stuck at 12, feeling like a "burden," early glue-sniffing experiment, near-fatal ruptured appendix/septic shock at 16, and constant walking-on-eggshells survival via art, empathy, and never taking abuse personally.In LA from 18, she dabbled in makeup/acting (Fright Night), when she began drinking heavy. Blackouts, self-harm (throwing herself through glass), and suicide ideation. followed. First rehab in Medellín (befriended staff for special treatment → false security). Post-rehab: mushrooms sparked a "psychedelic love" fling, ayahuasca faced childhood trauma head-on, but led to half-assed AA and relapses.COVID alone-time in NYC brought painting growth, but cat Stewie's death (worse than losing family) plunged her into deep  depression. Enter ketamine: started therapeutic (Mindbloom) but escalated to daily K-holes with Oculus VR for near-death/grief escapes, addictive Journey Circle weekends (MDMA/ayahuasca/mushrooms group catharsis without integration), erratic calls to mom, club blackouts, and cousin finding her passed out. Family intervention (Sophia pays, nephew packs her) lands her in trauma-focused Breathe Life rehab.She firmly rejects "California sober" as a trap—psychedelics delayed real surrender for her; true addicts can't substitute one mind-alter for another. Full AA commitment (no more a la carte) + Kabbalah (post-breakup desperation) changed everything: tikkun (soul correction via tough life choices), turning reactive impulses (anger/gossip) into proactive restriction, daily study/meditation for frequency shifts. Ties Kabbalah to quantum physics (observer effect = perception shapes reality, entanglement = we're all connected, certainty in the unknown = surrender).Sandra discusses Selling Sunset challenges (producer manipulation, ego, glamour vs. spiritual presence) and her new neuroscience/IFS/Kabbalah coaching for holistic recovery (mind stories, body regulation, spirit alignment). All that and much more on the brand new episode of that good old dopey show!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listen without ads at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastIn this Dopey replay, We revisits rare and unfiltered moments with Nick Reiner and Chris O’Connor from early episodes of the show — recorded years before the tragic events surrounding the Reiner family.The episode reflects on a time when addiction and mental illness had not yet fully hardened into catastrophic consequences. Dave explains why he chose to release this material now, reading listener reactions and grappling with the complexity of showing who Nick was before everything went wrong.What follows is a raw, chaotic, often funny, and deeply human stretch of Dopey history: arguments, drug stories, recovery talk, basketball injuries, relapse temptations, seizures, rehab memories, and one particularly moving story of Nick tripping on LSD and being cared for by his father through the night.The episode closes with a reflection on recovery, connection, and the importance of reaching out — both to those struggling and to those we love — alongside a tribute to Chris O’Connor and the reminder that hindsight doesn’t protect us, but connection sometimes can. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

for shows without inserted ads join:www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis two-hour emergency Dopey  episode compiles all of Nick Reiner’s appearances — spanning relapse, heart attack, family pressure, recovery attempts, weed/Adderall use, and wild stories. Dave and Chris walk through Nick’s upbringing as the son of Rob Reiner and grandson of Carl Reiner, the contrast between privilege and addiction, and the comedy-tragedy tension that defines Dopey.Nick describes relapsing with an old dealer, falling back into heroin and cocaine, and ultimately having a cocaine-induced heart attack mid-flight. He wakes up in a Boston hospital with Chris at his bedside. Dave and Chris revisit Nick’s movements through detoxes, sober living in Maine, and his premeditated plan to return home so he could smoke weed again without consequences.The episode also includes Nick’s childhood sex-work story (“Cherry Red”), his guest-house meth/coke destruction spree, and his reflections on relapse, weed maintenance, and creative paralysis.Dave and Chris add personal context — the pain of losing friends, the shock of Chris’s death, anger, humor, and the push-pull dynamic they shared trying to support Nick.The final third moves into classic Dopey: a listener email about sexual trauma and a predatory case manager; Dave and Chris reacting with equal parts disbelief and empathy; side rants on AA, weed, Adderall harm reduction, NBA players, LSD myths, and Nick’s writing ambitions.This is a serious American tragedy - please send your thoughts to [email protected]  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

📝 Episode Notes (with emojis, links & vibes):🔥 Dopey 526: Andy Roy, Angelo, Bobby & Tuan🎉 Andy Roy celebrates 5 years clean and brings along Angelo and Bobby from New Origins—the sober living home that’s keeping them grounded and inspired.🛹 Hear wild tales from the past (jerk-off contests??), what makes recovery actually work, and why the crew plans to stick around and give back.💥 “The love is real, bro.” This one’s about brotherhood, resilience, and turning chaos into a calling.💬 Then Dave dives in deep with Dopey spiritual consigliere Tuan from Mountainside 🧘‍♂️ on:The trap of workaholism in recoveryWhy it's so hard to just sit stillWhat happens when you lose your sponsor (RIP)🧠 Can you be too spiritual to need a sponsor?And why love, presence, and stillness are the medicine🎧 Plus: Dopey poet Ian drops a killer verse, and Dave gives a shoutout to Safe Spot and CustomStickers.com (use code Dopey20 to get 20% off your own stickers!).💌 Got a thought on Andy or New Origins? Write in: [email protected]🧦 Want a sticker? Hit us up. Or join us on Patreon for tons of bonus content + goodies: 👉 patreon.com/dopeypodcast❤️ Stay strong, Dopey Nation 🖕 Fucking toodles for Chris

This week on the teaser - Ben tells an insane Dopey story full of Walmart, guns and needles! Then the teaser with Leah Knauer - plus Should I go to Cuba??? https://www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Here is what AI says: "Shot in the Groin, High on Chaos: Ben’s Unbelievable Survival Story" 🎙️ New Episode: Detours Through Chaos Ever heard a buddy story involving Walmart receipts, a gunshot wound, and detox gone wild? 🌀 This week’s Dopey is exactly that kind of madness. 🔥 Ben Croxton shares an insane tale of survival, stupidity, and somehow finding recovery amidst the chaos. Plus, I’ve got updates on DopeyWood, an unexpected invite to Cuba with some very big names (Bill Murray, anyone?), and a sneak peek of Leah Knauer’s comedy, chaos, and song. 💥 Listen, laugh, cry, and cringe. You won’t believe half of it. 🎧 www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Got a story that tops a near-miss dick injury? 😳 Share it in the comments. Let's hear the madness. 👇 #DopeyPodcast #StayStrong #Recovery #ToodlesForChris

This week on Dopey! DopeyCon IV!!!! A cavalcade of Dopes! A treasure Trove ofand  Dopey Stories! It's all here! Bobby Dukes burning a dude's dick with a crack pipe in a glory hole to Jessa Reed's Opus Owl Story! Plus great recovery with Hank Azaria, Joe Schrank, Ask Erin Khar! Music by Ray Brown and so very much more on this weeks brand new spanking episode of that good old Dopey Show! DopeyCon IV!!!!! More About Dopey: Dopey Podcast is the world’s greatest podcast on drugs, addiction and dumb shit. Chris and I were two IV heroin addicts who loved to talk about all the coke we smoked, snorted and shot, all the pills we ate, smoked, all the weed we smoked and ate, all the booze we consumed and all the consequences we suffered. After making the show for 2 and a half years, Chris tragically relapsed and died from a fentanyl overdose. Dopey continued on, at first to mourn the horrible loss of Chris, but then to continue our mission - which was at its core, to keep addicts and alcoholics company. Whether to laugh at our time in rehab, or cry at the worst missteps we made, Dopey tells the truth about drugs, addiction and recovery. We continually mine the universe for stories rife with debauchery and highlight serious drug taking and alcoholism. We also examine different paths toward addiction recovery. We shine a light on harm reduction and medication assisted treatment. We talk with celebrities and nobodies and stockpile stories to be the greatest one stop shop podcast on all things drugs, addiction, recovery and comedy pathfinding the route to the heart of the opioid epidemic.

This week on Dopey! In an extra long, extra dopey episode of Dopey we are joined by Bobby Dukes who brings the seriously debaucherousness back to the show!  From the mean streets shooting galleries of Philadelphia to pulling a geographic to Australia. Bobby did it all plus more stealing then you could shake a stick at! PLUS emails, voicemails and a surprise call ins from Friend of Jerry's Jersey Jerry and It's All Bad's Ukranian Danny More about Dopey; Dopey Podcast is the world’s greatest podcast on drugs, addiction and dumb shit. Chris and I were two IV heroin addicts who loved to talk about all the coke we smoked, snorted and shot, all the pills we ate, smoked, all the weed we smoked and ate, all the booze we consumed and all the consequences we suffered. After making the show for 2 and a half years, Chris tragically relapsed and died from a fentanyl overdose. Dopey continued on, at first to mourn the horrible loss of Chris, but then to continue our mission - which was at its core, to keep addicts and alcoholics company. Whether to laugh at our time in rehab, or cry at the worst missteps we made, Dopey tells the truth about drugs, addiction and recovery. We continually mine the universe for stories rife with debauchery and highlight serious drug taking and alcoholism. We also examine different paths toward addiction recovery. We shine a light on harm reduction and medication assisted treatment. We talk with celebrities and nobodies and stockpile stories to be the greatest one stop shop podcast on all things drugs, addiction, recovery and comedy!