Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

ad free on patreon @www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on Dopey! It's Christmas Eve! Wishing all the listeners a Merry Fucking Christmas! This week we open the show reminding everyone about patreon and reading a note from incarcerated Dope - Montana about prison life, Toastmasters, college aspirations, and his badass DIY cubicle decor.We reflects on Christmas's universal meaning – love, hope, togetherness – while sending love to the Reiner family. The main interview features longtime friend and DopeyCon organizer Rachel Hechtman (@soberincentralpark), recorded the day the Nick Reiner news broke. Rachel shares her wild journey: early drinking and coke at 14, boarding school antics (including Paris Hilton-sourced coke), dealing at Dartmouth, drug-induced psychosis, a secret marriage to an Italian guy (Giuseppe!), massive weight loss (80 lbs), and getting sober through daily Central Park walks with her dog George during COVID – no 12-step, just determination, walking, and community-building.All that plus copious Nick Reiner Spotify comments on this brand new Wednesday version 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.

This week on the teaser! We begin in a chaotic pre-Christmas Eve update filled with last-minute shopping woes, mediocre Chinese food reviews, and reflections on recent controversial episodes. Dave teases the full Patreon show featuring the return of the legendary Downtown Ray Brown (Stephen Ray Brown) and a reluctant appearance by Dave's dad, Alan Manheim. The trio discusses everything from name pronunciations and stage names to the Nick Reiner aftermath, Hamilton Morris drama, and Ray's Bushwick Book Club adventures.The episode wraps with holiday cheer: Dave and Ray perform classic Christmas carols like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Silver Bells," plusRay does GSB!Dave reminds listeners about the weekly Dopey recovery Zoom, monthly Patreon Zoom, free Dopey Nation meetings, and encourages joining Patreon for bonus content, including upcoming Christmas songs.ALL THAT AND MORE ON A BRAND NEW TEASER OF THAT GOOD OLD DOPEY SHOW!Length: ~24 minutes Vibe: Holiday chaos, recovery talk, family banter, live music, and Dopey charm.  This episode perfectly blends Dopey's signature mix of dumb shit, deep recovery insight, family dynamics, and unexpected musical moments – a great holiday treat for Patreon supporters! 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.

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.