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Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction — Alternative Health
Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

Dopey Podcast is the world’s greatest podcast on drugs, addiction and dumb shit. Chris and I were two IV heroin addicts who loved to talk about all the coke we smoked, snorted and shot, all the pills we ate, smoked, all the weed we smoked and ate, all the booze we consumed and all the consequences we suffered. After making the show for 2 and a half years, Chris tragically relapsed and died from a fentanyl overdose. Dopey continued on, at first to mourn the horrible loss of Chris, but then to continue our mission – which was at its core, to keep addicts and alcoholics company. Whether to laugh at our time in rehab, or cry at the worst missteps we made, Dopey tells the truth about drugs, addiction and recovery. We continually mine the universe for stories rife with debauchery and highlight serious drug taking and alcoholism. We also examine different paths toward addiction recovery. We shine a light on harm reduction and medication assisted treatment. We talk with celebrities and nobodies and stockpile stories to be the greatest one stop shop podcast on all things drugs, addiction, recovery and comedy pathfinding the route to the heart of the opioid epidemic.

Copyright: © Copyright 2016 All rights reserved.

Latest Episodes:

Allman Brother's Tour Manager Flees Drug Charges With Meth, Heroin and Syringes—Then Became Dickey Betts’ Sponsor | Kirk West Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

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Episode summary:

This week we continue Allman Brothers Month!Legendary photographer, archivist and Allman Brothers tour manager Kirk West tells the incredible story of his journey from small-town Iowa into the center of American rock-and-roll history. After discovering psychedelics and Chicago blues in the late 1960s, Kirk became an IV meth user and drug dealer. He fled pending charges, landed in the psychedelic communities of Boulder and Northern California, and was eventually identified and arrested while hitchhiking through Nevada with meth and syringes in his backpack.

Kirk recounts therapeutic-community rehab, heroin addiction, the murder of his drug-dealing partner, repeated arrests and the camera-store burglary that finally led him back into treatment. He found recovery through one of Florida’s earliest Narcotics Anonymous communities—but after five years sober, he attempted to prove that he could drink normally. That experiment ended shortly after John Lennon’s murder and ultimately gave Kirk the sobriety date he has maintained ever since.

His recovery opened the door to an extraordinary career photographing Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Clash, Jerry Garcia and countless others. Kirk eventually became the Allman Brothers Band’s archivist and tour manager, served as Dickey Betts’ sponsor and helped preserve the group’s history. He shares intimate stories about Gregg Allman, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, the Big House in Macon—and the night Lowell George offered him cocaine shortly before his death.

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Heart Attack Doug is BACK! Glazing, Meeting Theft Drama, Surrealismo Beatles Remixes & Doug Roasts Dave (Dopey Tuesday Teaser) Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

Full Show only on Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast

Episode Teaser Summary:

Dave is back in the garage with Heart Attack Doug for a hilarious and chaotic Dopey Tuesday reunion! The episode opens with a fresh Surrealismo remix of the Dopey theme, sparking an immediate debate over Beatles remixes, Rocky Raccoon, and who actually wrote the hits (with Dave campaigning hard for Izzy Stradlin).

Doug brings the fire with savage voice memos and an all-time great impression of a whiny, anti-Semitic Dave, while the duo dives headfirst into classic meeting drama — someone stole from the collection basket and now the boys argue about gossip vs. playing cop, benefit of the doubt, and trusted servant votes. Doug drops sensible recovery wisdom, Long Island sprinkler guy corruption stories, and his famous “bragging or complaining” diagnosis.

They also tease Dave’s vacation stories, Canadian wildfire smoke horror, Kratom opinions (and Dave’s upcoming Rolling Stone piece), and read spicy Spotify comments praising Ray Brown while dragging Doug. It all wraps with a raw live musical moment and classic Dopey banter.

Pure unfiltered chaos, laughs, and real talk — classic Dave & Doug energy.

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Atrocious weed, cocaine psychosis, shooting puddle water, smuggling heroin into Jamaica, Jerry Garcia, recovery, and remembering Chris - Total Replay 37 Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

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This week on the Dopey Total Replay,!Dave returns from his summer hiatus and previews the family’s Pacific Northwest adventure, the upcoming Patreon Zoom, and the big decision facing DopeyCon: Friday night at the SVA Theatre or Saturday at the old church.

Then we travel back to Dopey Episode 37 for a classic conversation with Dave and Chris. They talk about sponsorship, working the steps, honesty, spirituality, and the strange miracle of one addict helping another. Dave tells the story of Jerry Garcia using a radio interview to summon drugs after the Grateful Dead’s package went missing in Philadelphia, plus tales of John Lennon’s psychedelic excess and Paul McCartney’s alleged plan to smuggle Owsley acid inside camera equipment.

Things get progressively dopier as Dave remembers stealing fried chicken and vodka at a company party, while Chris describes shooting cocaine in Anguilla, hallucinating benevolent Rastas hiding in the bushes, chasing an imaginary car around an abandoned house, and eventually being rescued from Saint Martin by his brother.

Finally, Dave recounts smuggling six bundles of heroin into Jamaica, burning through nearly everything, passing out on Valium during a press trip, and repeatedly sneaking into first class while withdrawing on the flight home. Beneath all the insanity, Dave and Chris reflect on the possession of addiction, the freedom of sobriety, and the strange comfort of no longer needing drugs to feel safe.

all that and probably still more! on this brand new interpretation of a classic, crusty old dopey show!

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Dopey 592: Jerry Stahl Returns! Twin Peaks, Oprah Loved Crack, Airplane Crack Smoking & Die Hard at Katz's | Dopey Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

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This week on Dopey! We open the show with a deep dive into Lou Reed's classic junkie anthem "Waiting for the Man" before reading incredible listener stories involving MDMA-assisted therapy, smashing open a safe with an axe for OxyContin, smoking crack in an airplane bathroom, a horrific flesh-eating abscess, and surviving Antabuse mixed with opioids.

Then legendary author Jerry Stahl returns for one of the funniest and deepest conversations Dopey has ever had. Jerry shares never-before-heard stories about writing for Twin Peaks, working with David Lynch and Ben Stiller, learning from Hubert Selby Jr., meeting William Burroughs' son, Oprah admitting she loved crack, surviving heroin addiction, and why kindness matters more than bitterness. The conversation ends with Dave pitching Jerry his outrageous action movie idea: Die Hard... at Katz's Delicatessen.

PLUS MORE MORE MORE on a brand new yet timeless episode of that good old dopey show!

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Dabbing Crack and Tar with Duane Betts, Allman Brothers Month, Dopey's Greatest Hits Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

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SUMMARY

This week on Dopey Greatest Hits, Dave officially declares July to be Allman Brothers Month and revisits one of his favorite interviews—with Duane Betts, guitarist, songwriter and son of the legendary Dickey Betts.

Before the interview, Dave talks about his lifelong love of “Blue Sky,” reflects on a difficult Patreon Zoom and reminds himself of one of recovery’s hardest lessons: restraint of pen and tongue. Papa Smurf contributes an incredible story about selling mushrooms in an Allman Brothers parking lot, getting grabbed by undercover cops and escaping after an oblivious hippie accidentally distracts them.

A listener named Jeff also shares a disastrous Phish adventure involving craft beer, moonshine, cocaine, getting lost outside the venue while “Maze” played in the distance, wandering through a locked campground and receiving a possession charge that ultimately introduced him to AA.

Then Dave sits down with Duane Betts for an intimate and wide-ranging conversation about growing up inside the Allman Brothers family, touring with his father, living at Cher’s Malibu home, learning guitar on the road and finding his own musical identity.

Duane opens up about Hodgkin lymphoma, discovering Dilaudid after surgery, the Malibu party scene, Molly, cocaine, crack, black tar heroin and a gram-a-day opiate habit. He recalls smoking heroin-and-cocaine speedballs, flipping a car after scoring drugs, waking up beside a friend who had overdosed and nearly dying after a massive cocaine hit.

He also describes arrests, drug court, treatment, Suboxone, relapse, touring with Dawes and eventually finding lasting recovery. Now more than seven years sober, Duane talks about meeting his wife in Jackson Hole, staying grounded through music, hiking, yoga and connection, and continuing the Allman Brothers legacy through his solo work, Palmetto Motel and the Allman Betts Family Revival.

It is a story about rock-and-roll history, inherited addiction, devastating loss, recovery and finding a life filled with music, gratitude and purpose.

Allman Brothers month continues!

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Behind the Dopey: The Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Heroin, Psychedlics, Snitching with Alan Paul Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

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This week on the Wednesday Dose of Dopey, We kick off an unofficial "Allman Brothers Month" with acclaimed music journalist and author Alan Paul, whose books One Way Out, Brothers and Sisters, and Texas Flood have become essential reading for fans of Southern rock and rock history.

Before the interview, Dave plays a hilarious voicemail from Australia about a first DUI, drinking gin while delivering food, accidentally racing an unmarked police car, and finishing the remaining booze in front of the cops. Dave also dives into listener emails about 2C drugs, psychedelic chemistry, his latest obsession with air fryer chicken thighs, and his fantasy "ultimate junkie cocktail"—before quickly reminding everyone how grateful he is to be sober.

Then comes a fascinating deep dive into the lives of Duane Allman, Greg Allman, Dickey Betts, Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, and the complicated relationship between genius, addiction, recovery, and music.

Alan shares remarkable stories about Stevie Ray Vaughan's dedication to Alcoholics Anonymous, how his recovery inspired countless musicians to get sober, the Allman Brothers' heroin use, the infamous Scooter Herring drug trial that nearly destroyed the band, Duane Allman's opposition to shooting heroin despite using it himself, and Greg Allman's controversial testimony that fractured relationships throughout the rock world.

The conversation also explores psychedelic culture, the legendary mushroom logo, Eat a Peach, Dickey Betts' complexity, Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and why some of rock's greatest musicians remain endlessly fascinating decades after their deaths.

ALL THAT AND MORE MORE MORE MORE on a new Allman based episode of that good ol dopey podcast!

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Credit for Crack, Duster Debackle! Endless Ecstasy! & (some) Recovery Truths Tuesday Teasee! Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

FULL EPISODE ONLY ON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast

STRAIGHT AI SUMMARY:

This week on Dopey Tuesday, Dave checks in fresh from another brutally sweaty workout with his new trainer, who thankfully traded emo music for N.W.A. and Biggie. Dave talks about embracing the Dopey fitness challenge, surviving leg day, walking miles in the summer heat, and learning a little humility while trying to get back into shape.

Since he's banking episodes before heading out on vacation, Dave changes things up by reading the Just For Today meditation on humility and reflects on what it means to accept getting older, staying teachable, and laughing at himself.

Then come the classic Dopey stories. James D. Hart sends in an unforgettable tale from his crack-smoking days in Cleveland, where his favorite dealer—nicknamed "400"—fronted him more and more drugs until James eventually disappeared owing him exactly $400, making for one of the funniest addict coincidences imaginable.

Dave follows with a voicemail from longtime Dopey Nation member Amy, who recalls taking what she thought was cocaine after a night of ecstasy at a Lower East Side club, waking up alone after closing time, and walking across Manhattan as the sun rose—one of those strange, lonely New York mornings only addiction can produce.

Finally, Dave teases an exclusive Patreon interview with Workit Health's Max, diving into medication-assisted recovery, recovery stigma, and why the conversation around Suboxone and recovery still needs to evolve.

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Chris at the Anguilla Brothel, Huffing Disaster, Mark's Prank Phone Call, Howard Stern Show Story - Dopey Total Replay 36 Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

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On this week's Dopey Total Replay! I recorded before sunrise while his family is on vacation and reflects on how strange it feels to revisit an episode recorded 10 years ago with Chris. He talks about why he still prefers making Dopey close to its release date, the lightning outside our window, early morning workouts, and how stress has him waking up at 4:30 a.m.

Dave celebrates the thriving Wednesday Patreon Recovery Zoom, thanks the Dopey Nation for supporting the show, and reads a remarkable email from listener Taylor inspired by Early Brunner's appearance on Dopey. Taylor shares how Recovery Demystified helped shape a recovery program built from multiple pathways before launching into one of the wildest inhalant stories ever read on the show—a multi-day duster binge involving crashes, hotels, jail, NASCAR weekend, and repeated arrests across Alabama.

The replay itself returns to Dopey Episode 36, where Dave and Chris are still finding their rhythm. Chris recounts an unbelievable teenage trip to St. Martin that turns into a drunken blackjack winning streak and an unexpected visit to a legal brothel in Anguilla. Dave tells the infamous story of sneaking onto The Howard Stern Show while high by inventing the "Shuffle Entertainer of the Millennium Award," only to have Robin Quivers immediately call him out for being loaded.

PLUS MORE!

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Dopey 591: Shooting Coke! Pierced Penis! Getting Shot! Heroin & Redemption with Dopey OG Ben Croxton Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

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This week on Dopey! We kick things off catching up with Dopey Nation, talking recovery, life, and the strange little community that's grown around this dumb podcast on drugs, addiction, and dumb shit. We dive into a listener voicemail about loving an addict, codependency, and the painful reality that sometimes helping someone means stepping back. As always, there's plenty of laughter, honesty, and reminders that none of us have to do this alone.

Then Ben Croxton sits down and tells one of the wildest stories we've ever featured.

Ben grew up homeschooled in rural Alabama before drugs completely hijacked his life. What started with weed turned into pills, OxyContin, cocaine, meth, and eventually heroin. He talks about getting kicked out of homeschool for smoking weed, discovering drug culture while working at Outback Steakhouse, stealing anything that wasn't nailed down, shooting cocaine at eighteen years old, smoking meth out of homemade light bulbs, surviving overdoses, watching friends get murdered over meth deals, and somehow waking up every day to do it all again.

Somehow, it doesn't end there.

Ben eventually finds recovery, rebuilds his life one day at a time, and becomes one of the people behind the scenes helping Dopey grow into the community it is today. It's funny, heartbreaking, completely unfiltered, and a reminder that no matter how far things go, recovery is still possible.

PLUS MORE!

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Michael Todd of Coheed and Cambria — Robbing Pharmacies, Heroin, Oxy's, Kicked out of band, Suicide, Shame & Radical Acceptance - Dopey Replay! Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

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This week on Dopey! Dave opens in a reflective mood before vacation, trying to practice gratitude while also admitting how ridiculous and uncomfortable it feels. He gives thanks to the Dopey team, Dopey Nation, the people who helped with the film festival, and talks about being sober, scrambling to get shows done, House of the Dragon, and crying on the Long Island Railroad while watching the Knicks finals mini movie.

Then Dave gets into revenge, resentment, recovery, redemption, and the dangerous romance of “getting back.” He plays a wild voicemail from a Scottish Dopey listener coming off opiates, who tells a story about buying a house, snorting heroin before move-in day, doing coke, champagne, and Ritalin while moving furniture, crashing a van, watching his friend get arrested, and then finishing the move on a days-long stimulant binge.

Then it’s a classic Dopey replay with Michael Todd, former bassist of Coheed and Cambria. Michael tells the story of going from prescription painkillers on tour to OxyContin, heroin, shooting coke and dope, leaving the band, rejoining clean, relapsing, smuggling heroin across the country in Gobstopper boxes, robbing a pharmacy in Massachusetts, getting arrested, losing the band for good, dealing with cancer, shame, probation, relapse, Suboxone, and surviving a suicide attempt.

It’s one of the rawest Dopey conversations ever: rock stardom, addiction, shame, survival, recovery, and Dave’s newly coined phrase — radical gratitude.

PLUS MORE!!!! MORE! MORE!

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