Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast  listen without ads!This week on Dopey! Christmastime is here again and we read emails from Dopes who motly comment on Nick Reiner, read Spotify reviews about it and try and celebrate the holidays and spread some good cheer!The centerpiece is a long, candid interview with Alec Baldwin, recorded just before Thanksgiving. Alec discusses growing up on Long Island, early drinking and cocaine use, working in New York television, moving to Los Angeles, fame, excess, driving intoxicated, overdosing in a hotel room in Oregon, and ultimately getting sober in 1985. He describes how AA became his entire social world, how spirituality helped keep him sober, and how his faith and family carried him through later life crises — including public scrutiny, divorce, legal battles, and depression. Alec speaks openly about wanting to “just not kill myself tomorrow” during his darkest moments and how sobriety principles guided him through.After the interview, Dave plays more holiday messages from the Dopey Nation and then has a long, emotional phone call with his father, Alan Manheim. They process the Nick Reiner tragedy, public backlash, antisemitic comments, criticism of old Dopey clips resurfacing online, and the strange irony of Dopey being thrust into the media spotlight through tragedy. They discuss parenting addicts, mental illness, fame, synchronicity, and how Dopey interviews became central to news coverage. The episode closes with reflections on resilience, staying connected, asking for help, and honoring Chris, followed by Dave playing his song “Good So Bad.”SEO / SEARCHABLE KEYWORDS (CUT & PASTE)  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 www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on Dopey we go down memory lane and listen to me and Chris plant the dopey flag and start the show. First - Chris tells the story of his first time using and I tell a story of seizing off of benzos. If you wanna make a comment - comment on spotify or on patreon or write us at [email protected] everyone peace and love!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ad Free Dopey:www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastIn this crucial emergency episode, Dave is joined by longtime friend and recovery legend Bob Forrest to process the shock, grief, and fallout surrounding the Nick Reiner tragedy and the public backlash aimed at Dopey.Bob speaks from decades of experience in addiction treatment, psychiatry-adjacent crisis work, and firsthand encounters with drug-induced psychosis, violence, and untreated mental illness. He explains why modern drugs—especially meth and stimulants—are producing homicidal and suicidal behavior, and why families often have no remaining safety net when things spiral.They discuss:Why parents can love their children and still need boundaries, charges, or interventionHow decriminalization + lack of psychiatric resources leaves families helplessWhy people project their own trauma and rage onto public figures and podcastsThe danger of separating “mental health” from active addictionCelebrity kids, resentment, identity, and why some survive while others don’tWhy Dopey is being scapegoated—and why that logic doesn’t hold upThe conversation moves through music, recovery, punk rock, famous addiction stories, Christmas memories, suicidal ideation, parenting, and connection, ultimately landing on Bob’s central belief: connection, love, truth, and honesty are what keep people alive.The episode ends with Bob defending Dopey’s right to tell the whole truth about addiction—ugly, funny, painful, and real—and offering a blunt but heartfelt holiday message to Dopey Nation. All that and more on this brand new Wednesday episode of the 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.

Hear the rest at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on Dopey Tuesday with returning friend, writer, and “elite ex-equestrian” Erin Carr. They joke about their disorganization, their family-like bond, and the chaos of planning episodes. Erin updates Dave on her recent election win to the NYC Education Council and what serving on it has been like—contentious but meaningful work centered on education policy and generational differences.The conversation shifts into generational talk (Gen X, Gen Z, Gen Alpha), early internet days, and feeling grateful they grew up before social media. Erin then describes learning—through an ex—that Dopey was suddenly in the news because Dave was doing media interviews about the breaking Nick Reiner case.Dave recounts going on ABC News unprepared, explains his new plan to publish a show every day, and details the backlash he received for releasing a Dopey Emergency Episode compiling all of Nick Reiner’s past appearances. Erin gives thoughtful criticism: the issue isn’t releasing the audio, but centering Nick rather than the murdered victims. They discuss responsibility, ethics, addiction stigma, and the complexity of public consumption of tragedy.Dave explains why he released the compilation, his intentions, the bizarre Dopey connection to the story, and his concern over tone. Erin helps him rework the title toward something victim-centered (“The Reiner Family Tragedy”). They unpack addiction narratives, mental illness stigma, and how easily public discussion slips into blaming or sensationalizing.The two close on themes of empathy, horror at the details emerging about the Reiner murders, the emotional weight of family devastation, and the moral questions around covering breaking tragedy in recovery media. The teaser ends with Dave redirecting listeners to Patreon for the rest of the conversation before running off to Susan’s Nutcracker performance.  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.