Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

This week on the Wednesday Dose of Dopey! Dave kicks off an intensely emotional episode amid personal chaos—grieving Linda's dad's death, a bizarre Verizon outage conspiracy vibe, a $1,100 car repair scam, and a half-hearted gratitude meditation to stay grounded. He reads glowing listener comments on the recent Sid Vicious/Ned Van Zandt heroin epic, plugs stickers for Spotify/iTunes reviews, and shares a powerful email from Sarah E. about her ongoing brutal struggle with 7-OH (7-hydroxymitragynine) dependence after accidents and kratom escalation, highlighting deception, severe withdrawals, and the "master of deception" label despite a strong sober community.The core is a raw, heartfelt interview with returning guest Erin Khar (author of Strung Out, unlicensed advice columnist), who opens up about her recent diagnosis of small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) / chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)—a slow-growing, incurable non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma discovered via routine mammogram/biopsy around Labor Day. Erin details the terrifying pathology call, symptoms (years of unexplained fatigue, anemia, frequent illnesses), watch-and-wait monitoring (no treatment yet until lymphocyte count rises), good-news/bad-news aspects (no chemo likely, keeps her hair, many live normal lifespans especially younger diagnoses like her at 52), and how curiosity over fear helps her cope.They explore parallels to addiction/recovery (one day at a time, sitting on hands during suicidal moments, grief + gratitude coexisting), family impact (kids' anxiety, protecting emotions), quality over quantity of life, and Erin's Substack reveal for connection. Ends with an Ask Erin advice segment, Johnny Thunders love ("Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory"), and Trinity's cover of "Wanna Be Good So Bad". ALL THAT AND 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 TO THE FULL EPISODE: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis Week on Dopey Tuesday! Dave opens with a raw, heartfelt intro reflecting on grief after Linda’s dad Tony’s recent passing — how it hits the whole family in unpredictable ways, amps up his worry, and pushes him to double down on recovery (morning meditation, Step 12 with his sponsor, and gratitude work). He shares a beautiful listener email from Kyle, a former heroin/crack/meth addict who found spiritual connection through a wild shroom + heroin beach trip, years of struggle, and a sober Grateful Dead moment listening to “Broke Down Palace” by the river — reminding Dave of his own Mountainside harmonies with Chris and Linda. Dave calls it “perfect” and emotional, awarding Kyle socks and relating deeply to the “hippie dippy” universal energy. He then dives into Spotify/Patreon comments on last week’s Ray Brown episode, plus the ongoing Zoe voicemail drama (some love her chaos, most roast her, Dave teases playing both voicemails next week). The episode wraps with a fun, chaotic clip of Dave, Cormac, and Selby (Asmatic Selby) bantering about early mornings, recovery day counts (Selby at 73 days!), Selby’s winter break dad fails (Santa screw-ups), and a plug for the full Patreon Reddit roundup. LISTEN TO THE FULL DEAL ON PATREON! wwww.patreon.com/dopeypodcast  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

ad free at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis Week on Dopey! Dave opens with a deeply personal and emotional tribute to Linda’s father, Tony, who recently passed after a long battle with Lewy body dementia, and other ailments. He shares heartfelt memories of Tony’s exceptional character—his strength, kindness, love of family, rock ’n’ roll roots, teaching career, and unwavering positivity—reflecting on how Tony’s compassion and support played a huge role in Dave’s own recovery and relationship with Linda. The episode also touches on recent losses (Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and actor James Ransone from The Wire), with Dave offering a half-hearted amend to Weir, pondering the future of Dead & Company, and urging listeners to reach out if struggling with depression. He then replays his powerful, candid interview with Alec Baldwin, where Alec gets brutally honest about his 40 years of sobriety, wild 80s cocaine-and-alcohol-fueled days in New York and LA, the terrifying overdose that led to his bottom, finding AA as his new “family,” the spiritual shift that kept him sober, and how the program carried him through massive personal and public storms (including his divorce and the Rust tragedy). All that and more on this weeks REPLAY! 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 Dopey! Dave kicks off the Friday episode by celebrating Dopey OG Leah Lumberg’s 17 years of sobriety, sharing heartfelt Spotify listener comments (with spirited debates over Breaking Bad characters and more love for the recent Cosmo Lumbino interview), and playing a raw voicemail from Lane opening up about self-medicating with crushed stimulants, kratom, and weed amid depression and a breakup—reminding everyone Dopey welcomes voices from all sides of the struggle. The heart of the show is a deep, hilarious, and profoundly honest conversation with returning guest Hank Azaria, who gets real about his teenage battles with anorexia and bulimia, maintaining his impressive physique through disciplined fitness and calorie tracking, finding primary recovery in Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) work (including a full breakdown of the ACA "laundry list" traits), his enduring love for voicing Moe on The Simpsons, the looming AI threat to voice actors, his Bruce Springsteen tribute band (complete with Bruce's personal thumbs-up), and a thoughtful take on cultural extremism as the real enemy. Packed with lightning-round fun, Mets passion, and classic Dopey vulnerability. All that and more on this 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.

inserted ad free episodes at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastSend emails and voicemails to [email protected] - get socks or stickers if we read on the show! Leave reviews on iTunes and Comments on Spotify!This week on the REPLAY! We replay of  episodes 3 and 4 (originally recorded in one marathon session), we reflece on the raw, chaotic magic of the show's beginnings with his late co-host Chris. The intro features classic Dopey elements—voicemails from Heart Attack Doug complaining about his absence from the Tuesday Patreon teasers, listener Spotify comments praising past guests like Steve Poltz, and Dave's ongoing gratitude for five-day-a-week Dopey while teasing upcoming episodes with Hank Azaria and more Reddit roundups. The bulk of the episode replays the vintage recordings: Chris shares his infamous "Dodge the Lodge" story about brewing jailhouse pruno at strict Alina Lodge, fleeing into the woods, and waking up in a Harlem ER after overdosing on stolen GHB from a Powerade bottle (leading to a months-long fruit ban back at rehab). Dave follows with his own tales of odd jobs, including working as a fake private eye in 90s clubs and his 1999 Howard Stern Show appearance where he conned his way on air with a phony "Shuffle Entertainer of the Millennium" award—only to get called out (and kicked out) by Robin for obviously being high. The replay captures the unpolished, hilarious chemistry between Dave and Chris that defined early Dopey, ending with Dave's heartfelt appreciation for preserving Chris's voice in these archived episodes.Dave says Episode 4 includes the Howard Stern story (again)ALL THAT AND MORE! On this weeks new replay of an 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.