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This week on the Dopey Total Replay! A bona fide Dopey classic: THE GAY CRUISE with Todd R.  My friend Todd joins me and Chris for a story about drinking, opiates, falling five decks off a cruise ship, and getting kicked off while his friends continue their vacation. 

But First we go over Hey Bulldog! And go over the emotional comments from Dopey Episode 50.

Plus! Being high on the Martha Stewart Show, reconnecting with an old boyfriend who turns out to have been sober the entire time, making up a sponsor, and getting through early recovery with Cool Ranch Doritos, Diet Coke, and I Love Lucy. We also get a completely insane listener airplane story, Chris takes the controls of a plane, and we argue about sharing for laughs at AA. All that, the origins of the Dopey theme song, your comments, and much, much, much more on a brand new version of a classic dose of Dopey!


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Falling Overboard on a Cruise Ship Drunk and High, Dopey Total Replay; Gay Cruise, The Saga of Todd R.

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Summary:

This week on Dopey! Benjamin Tod of Lost Dog Street Band brings a deeply honest story of childhood trauma, crust punk, freight trains, heroin, methamphetamine, and the slow work of building a different life.

Growing up outside Nashville, Benjamin started drinking as a kid and using hard drugs in his early teens. Drawn to the freedom of traveling musicians, he found a world of street performances, railroad journeys, makeshift camps, and friendships forged under bridges. He takes us inside that life: getting strung out in one city and kicking in the next, withdrawing while waiting for sugar-beet harvest work, and trying to perform through an IV-meth-fueled panic attack while opening for the Devil Makes Three.

Benjamin also gets into what’s happening now—feeling spiritually unsettled, confronting old pain, and wanting to become a better husband and father. He talks about the collapse of his marriage to Ashley, recording I Will Rise in the middle of his darkest period, and the sick puppy named Rita who became a symbol of starting over. On thirteen acres in Kentucky, he began clearing land, rebuilding trust, and making a home. Getting off the needle came first; letting go of alcohol took years longer.

PLUS! Punk rock as folk music, the Clash, outlaw country, faith without rigid dogma, shame without self-destruction, and a round of This or That. Before the interview: a listener writes about dabs and research chemicals, Eric remembers a friend’s disastrous gasoline-bong idea, and Matt Wiedemeyer Carroll celebrates three years sober. Closing with Benjamin’s “Using Again” and an early banjo recording from Jake in West Virginia. 

All that and MUCH MORE on Brand new super anarchist crusty, punk rock, honky tonk episode of that good old Dopey Show!
 


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Dopey 607: The Life and Times of a Crust Punk, Anarchist, Country, IV Tweaker -n- Junky Super Star - Benjamin Tod

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Summary

This week on Dopey Greatest Hits! We revisit Jamie Lee Curtis’s first appearance on Dopey, recorded in 2019 with Dave in his attic, a microphone in one hand, and a Bluetooth speaker in the other.

It began outside Katz’s Deli, where Dave tried to casually intercept Jamie and pitch the show. Her response: “I’m a dope fiend.” His response: “Me too.” What followed was an email misunderstanding, years of persistence, and a conversation about why Jamie initially wanted nothing to do with a comedy podcast about addiction—and how Chris’s death changed her understanding of the show.

Jamie and Dave talk about opioid addiction, secrecy, the vulnerability of being publicly sober, and finding connection through other people’s honesty. Dave remembers Chris, explains why showing the fun in recovery matters, and gets to tell Jamie what her movies and children’s books have meant to his family.

PLUS! A medical student writes about how Chris is still helping people he never met, JD responds to criticism of his workplace drug discovery, and Dave ranks his morning-text correspondents. Listener letters explore sex addiction, the difference between sponsorship and life advice, and an EMDR experience that helped one woman rethink sexual pressure in her marriage. Dave also explains why he stopped EMDR—for now. 

All that and MUCH MORE on a super star studded - Dopey's Greatest Hits!

 


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Jamie Lee Curtis!  'I am a DOPE FIEND! Opioid Addiction, Recovery & Remembering Chris PLUS Listener SEX ADDICTION on. DOPEY'S GREATEST HITS

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Summary:

This week on Dopey Wednesday! Photographer Sean Murphy, author of My Friend Weezer, brings an epic story of rock ’n’ roll, alcoholism, meth addiction, and finally finding a recovery that stuck.

Sean takes us from Florida’s early rave scene to art school in Boston, San Francisco’s rock ’n’ roll underground, and a photography career shooting some of the biggest bands in the world. He photographs the Beastie Boys while falling off the wagon, nearly loses the camera containing their pictures, drives Shane MacGowan over the hills of San Francisco in a barely functioning Volkswagen, and finds himself living above a gay porn studio with a seemingly endless supply of meth downstairs.

In Los Angeles, the jobs get bigger while the consequences get worse: a relapse in Slayer’s limo ends in a blackout DUI near his AA meeting, police surround his truck outside MADtv, and drugs and alcohol tear through his marriage, parenting, and professional life. Through it all, his friendship with Weezer becomes one of the lasting bright spots.

But the heart of Sean’s story is what finally changed. After years of meetings, treatment, and going back out, a persistent biker sponsor and an Irish addict named Mike help him find a way through the steps. At a chaotic sober house called Plan C—complete with a horse, chickens, costumes, and a collection of unbelievable characters—Sean discovers purpose in helping other people. Today, he hosts a recovery meeting at his photography studio and describes a sober life far beyond anything he knew to ask for.

PLUS! Nat Kingsley gives a fellow rehab patient his debit card and PIN in exchange for a promised tennis ball full of heroin. Dave remembers his own rehab tennis-ball disaster, celebrates a Dopey Nation anniversary, and reads reactions to Keith’s episode, the Trey controversy, and the sound complaint that finally gets resolved. 

All that and MUCH, MUCH  MORE! on a very, very girthy new Wednesday Dose of that good old Dopey Show!
 


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Meth, Porn Sets, Weezer, Blacking Out at Slayer & Finding Recovery | Sean Murphy with Sean Murphy

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Summary

This week on Dopey Tuesday! Cormac and Selby return for a Reddit Roundup teaser featuring flaming drum kits, obsessive hobbies, comfort television, and another questionable Patreon sales pitch from Dave.

Cormac reports back from opening for a masked surf-rock band that sets its drums on fire, then explains how music and strength training give his obsessive energy somewhere productive to go. Selby prefers to wait for the urge to exercise to pass. Meanwhile, Dave has found comfort in peanut butter ice cream and another trip through The Sopranos, kicking off an argument about Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and which season of The Wire deserves the crown.

PLUS! A DopeyCon caption contest threatens to reveal what Dave was actually thinking, Selby promises behind-the-scenes dirt, and Dave revisits calling non-patrons “cheapos.” Can you spare 16 cents a day? Should recovery meeting links be shared? And could your sob story win you a gifted Patreon membership?

Listen to the whole thing at www.patren.com/dopeypodcast


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The Kevin O'Leary Backlash, DopeyCon Dirt , Talking Shit about Ice Cream and TV — Reddit Roundup Tuesday Teaser

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Summary

This week on Dopey Total Replay! It’s the infamous 50th episode: Dave Gives Up, Chris Takes Over! Dave tries to manufacture a feud with That Sober Guy, Chris prepares to become “Dr. Chris,” and the boys celebrate their milestone by arguing about almost everything.

Chris tells the story of working in a prestigious Boston hospital while secretly shooting heroin and cocaine—and financing his habit by stealing his mother’s jewelry. After getting banned from his parents’ building, he gets the jeweler himself to drive him back for another attempt, then disappears to Harlem on a crack binge while his girlfriend waits to pick him up from work. His brother and sister eventually retrieve him and bring him to detox, setting him on the path to Mountainside, where he meets Dave.

PLUS! Chris finds the perfect addiction metaphor in The Wrestler, Dave and Chris revisit their favorite early Dopey moments, a debate over stolen bracelets becomes an argument about brioche French toast, and Chris pushes Dave to the breaking point with his relentless search for Flesh-n-Bone. Expired hand warmers, disastrous music trivia, mushrooms in a red velvet taxi, and a negotiation over whether Chris will EVER say “Toodles.”

In the new introduction, Dave revisits classic Dopey beefs, wonders what a spiritual solution actually looks like, and reads listener comments questioning his ability to beat up Ezra. All that and MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MORE on a classic dose of good old, old timey Dopey!


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Dopey Total Replay 50: Dave Gives Up — Chris Takes Over, Steals Mom’s Jewelry & Disappears to Harlem

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This week on Dopey! My trainer Joe Belmonte comes over, and what starts with complaints about Howie’s camera angles and Joe’s horrible taste in music turns into an incredibly moving story of drugs, addiction, grief, and recovery.

Growing up on Long Island, Joe went from Catholic school, ecstasy at Webster Hall, and cocaine-fueled construction shifts to a massive blues habit with his girlfriend. Together, they stole and sold electronics across Long Island to support a pill habit that Joe says reached $1,500–$2,000 a day. Then came heroin, needles, speedballs, homelessness, and a relationship built around loving each other and getting high.

After their first trip to treatment, they returned home and used together again. Both overdosed. Joe woke up days later in the hospital, unable to walk, and learned that his pregnant girlfriend had died. He shares the devastating aftermath, learning to accept help, rebuilding in Florida, relapsing after nearly three years, and eventually finding his way back to recovery.

Today, Joe is a father, a business owner, and the guy responsible for listening to me complain through every fucking workout. We talk about anger, music, surviving grief, and why I have absolutely no desire to overcome a squat rack. Plus! Mandy’s acid trip at a Tool concert takes an unwanted turn, Harold remembers shooting meth while dope sick in Anchorage, the Betty episode divides Dopey Nation, and we launch a new Dopey Fitness Challenge!

All that and much more on a brand-new fitness intensive episode of Dopey that Good Old Dopey Show!


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Dopey 606 - Joe B 'The Trainer' $2,000-a-Day Pill Habit, Junky Love, Surviving Grief, a Double Overdose

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This week on Dopey’s Greatest Hits! Long Island recovery legend Smiling Joe takes us through four decades of drugs, crime, chaos, and finding a way out. From drinking and sniffing glue as a kid in Queens to taking acid on the roof of JFK Airport, shooting heroin, stealing diamond rings, and plotting a $30 million gold theft on Wall Street—Joe’s story is absolutely fucking unbelievable.

We hear about getting arrested over a stolen girdle, kicking heroin in jail, surviving Rikers Island, and dating a mob-connected man’s daughter. Her father first chased Joe with a gun, then became his friend—and later decided against bringing Joe on a ride that ended with the man being killed. Somehow, Joe also went from Rikers to St. John’s University, became an A student, and reinvented himself as Disco Joe before heroin and cocaine took over again.

But the heart of this episode is how “Methadone Joe” became Smiling Joe. After years of rehabs, relentless using, and going to meetings high, Joe finally found a recovery he could live in. We talk about powerlessness, surrender, borrowing a loving God, and replacing the feeling in the needle with connection, service, and real love. Plus, Dave shares how Joe helped him feel welcome in recovery after Chris died.

PLUS! Austin’s Rainbow Gathering voicemail involves boofing LSD, a blackout, and a search for his missing pants. Listener reactions to John Joseph, a Dopey studio update, and much more!

All that and more on the Dopey Smiling Joe Greatest Hits Episode!


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Coke + Heroin = Speedballs! Methadone! Acid on the Roof of JFK! A $30 Million Gold Scheme & the Mob Ride That Almost Killed Him | Dopey Greatest Hits 254: The Legend of Smiling Joe!

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This week on Dopey! Interventionist Keith Fierman brings a lifetime of unbelievable drug stories, rock-and-roll adventures, and hard-earned recovery. From taking acid with Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Owsley Stanley to secretly flying from Alabama to New York, stuffing his socks with heroin, and getting home like he’d spent the day at work—Keith lived two very different lives. And when he finally asked for help, he spent five days wandering a treatment center before staff admitted they hadn’t actually checked him in.

Behind the backstage passes is a powerful story of childhood abuse, finding safety in heroin, and fighting to build a different life. Keith talks about relentless cravings in early sobriety, telling God “fuck you,” and the bowling trip that finally gave him a little peace. Plus, a runaway doctor demanding a naked woman on a horse, Keith Richards, an unexpected meeting with Ringo Starr in France, and why families shouldn’t have to wait for someone to hit bottom.

PLUS! JD D. Hart finds a bag of drugs at work and turns it in, listener comments on gambling and process addictions, and Dave and Keith get into the ongoing saga of getting Trey Anastasio on Dopey. Is Dopey too dark—or is finding laughter and connection in the darkness exactly the point?

All that and much more on this old school dose of brand new Dopey!


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Scoring Heroin at Katz’s, Tripping Acid with Jerry Garcia & Praying for Trey | Keith Fierman - Dopey Wednesday

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This week on Dopey Tuesday! Ray returns, the headphones suck, and Dave’s attempt to sell Patreon immediately backfires when Ray reveals he pays two dollars a month and still thinks there are too many ads.

We revisit Ben’s unforgettable Snickers story, autographed candy bars, and the mechanics of a pierced penis before Alan joins us for his official DopeyCon review. Naturally, this becomes an argument about whether he threw away Dave’s framed posters, why photographs of Canadian tunnels get wall space, and why Dave still doesn’t know how to end a show. Plus: Ray’s suspiciously heartfelt stagecraft, Tony O’Neill, fantasy basketball draft disasters, diabolical Seymour, and gambling apps tempting Ray for all the wrong reasons.

THEN! Dave reveals that his Thursday started with questioning by three LAPD detectives and ended at Gary Dell’Abate’s vinyl party. For that story, the Heart Attack Doug comments, and the rest of the stories, join us on Patreon!

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Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction