Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

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This week on the Monday Complete Dopey Replay! Dave kicks off the brand-new weekly series reliving the classic early episodes with Chris (starting from the beginning after lost tapes 6, 8, 10 & 12), reflecting on 10 years since Dopey launched in 2016, the frozen-in-time joy of hearing Chris’s voice again, and how the show was born from two rehab friends laughing over insane drug stories. He’s still riding the emotional wave from Linda’s father Tony’s beautiful celebration of life, got his $1,100 car repair money back after a pajama-rage showdown, and begs for any surviving lost Dopey episodes (6, 8, 10, 12) with a reward offered.
New format twist: Mondays = full chronological Chris-era replays, Thursdays = Greatest Hits. Dave reads grateful/complaining listener emails (send yours: one thing you hate + one thing you’re grateful for), plays Haley’s legendary nitrous-at-the-dentist voicemail (huffing until she thinks she’s “retarded,” crying then laughing while clapping, pure Dopey chaos), and dives into the Episode 5 replay: “Skiing Drunk, Broken Neck, TBI, Jail, and…” — Chris recounts his teenage subdural hematoma from a blackout ski crash (tuna & grape juice vomit fountain, spinal fractures, spleen rupture), court-ordered stay at a traumatic brain injury facility (diaper-wearing roommate flooding the kitchen with Apple Jacks & milk, another nonstop-talking Deadhead/skinhead roommate), sneaking out to shoot crystal meth, watching porn together, and the infamous “let me suck your dick” moment that ends the story in glorious, unfiltered Dopey style.
ALL THAT PLUS EMAILS AND VOICEMAILS on a super classic episode of Dopey.
 

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This week on Dopey! Dave powers through a music-heavy, emotional episode amid ongoing family grief (Tony’s celebration of life tomorrow), delivering sober birthday shoutouts (Jennifer Jimenez 20 years, Janine Coulter 11 years), sponsor love, listener stories, and a historic, in-depth interview with James Frey—his first-ever detailed on-record discussion of pre-sobriety life. Dave opens with a raw acoustic snippet (“Trying to score from the plug today…”), reflects on fame/pressure, plugs sponsors (Oro Recovery, Mountainside, Link Diagnostics, Recovery Unplugged, Orchard on the Brazos), and shares powerful listener submissions: Taylor’s 7-OH update (detox → AMA → relapse → QuickMD Suboxone taper + comedy struggles), Oscar (Sweden) on opioid progression to stable methadone, and an anonymous blackout chef tale (insane midnight meals with zero memory, kitchen disasters, one epic hookup dinner).
The centerpiece is James Frey’s unfiltered hour-plus conversation: childhood rage (ear infections/surgeries → early drinking/fighting), teenage rebellion (“White Boy James” in Benton Harbor bars), college coke dealing, Paris wild years, crack-fueled North Carolina descent, brutal Hazelden wake-up (face destroyed at 23), and Taoism as his lifelong sobriety anchor (meditation, renunciation, balance over 12-step dogma). He details writing A Million Little Pieces (addict rhythm, artistic defiance, no quotation marks), the explosive Oprah-fueled fame/backlash (“punk outlaw” pedestal → villain), and ongoing battles (suicidal ideation, rage, hockey fights). ALL THAT and MORE MORE MORE on this weeks super fucking robust episode of that good old dopey show.

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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.
 
 

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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!

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This 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
 

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