Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

Timestamp notes Time 00:01 Dopey theme and introduction 01:00. Spirituality, different paths to recovery, and DopeyCon preparations 02:29 Vegan food, new beanies, and introducing Justin 04:00. Austin’s voicemail: childhood inhalant use 07:00 Losing his vision while huffing gasoline 09:24 Patreon comments, listener support, and correcting the theme-song credit 13:54 Justin joins Dave; adventure, creativity, and twelve-step anonymity 16:16 Maintaining recovery while traveling 18:28 Growing up in New Jersey and looking back at family dynamics 22:31 ADHD diagnosis and Justin’s experience with prescription stimulants 29:11 An intense Ambien experience and romanticizing drug culture 31:34 Weed, The Drug Years, Blow, and the hippie fantasy 36:09 Wisdom teeth, painkillers, and Trainspotting 40:45 Blues at Hofstra and using his film budget to fund addiction 43:02 Making a senior thesis film about an overdose 47:28 Losing friends and opportunities after college 49:35 Cosmetic testing to buy pills 51:39 Using at work, taking family money, and parents trying to help 56:05 Offering dealers gas and repeatedly trusting a scammer 59:05 Robbed at knifepoint; dislocating his shoulder in the struggle 01:01:22 First rehab and rejecting recovery suggestions 01:03:36 Seeing former using friends clean at a meeting 01:05:50 Peach Festival plans and reservations about psychedelics 01:08:09 Mushroom chocolates, cocaine, and a return to opioids 01:10:26 Heroin addiction and crying on the way to score 01:13:00. Sneaking into dealers’ houses to steal drugs 01:14:44 Xanax, blues, a totaled car, and using pills before police could find them 01:18:43 Christmas with his cousin and finally admitting his addiction 01:20:39 Wild, the possibility of change, and voluntarily seeking treatment 01:25:19 Willingness, surrender, and accepting treatment recommendations 01:27:38 Meetings, Oxford House, and rebuilding from scratch 01:30:02 Delivering pizza to the man who rejected him for a production job 01:32:19 UPS, adventure podcasts, and developing a photography portfolio 01:34:38 Yosemite and Big Sur change his direction 01:36:47 Deciding to leave UPS 01:39:10 Early recovery, laughter, and an opening in production 01:41:24 Taking risks and sharing creative work online 01:43:38 Finding support, selling prints, and learning the photography business 01:46:05 Buying a van and preparing to hit the road 01:48:30 Building the van with help from his recovery community 01:50:46 Turning recovery experience into confidence to pursue bigger dreams 01:53:08 Dave and Justin compare their creative journeys 01:55:25 Life on the road, photography, and traveling solo 01:57:43 Sharing recovery publicly and inspiring others 02:00:00 Keeping recovery first 02:02:12 Dave’s connection to photography and the outdoors 02:04:34 Interview ends; DopeyCon, Patreon, and closing announcements 02:07:02 Sign-off and closing song

Timestamps - 01:15 — Doug returns; Dave sets up the theme song challenge - 03:34 — Kevin O’Leary backlash and Dave’s Friday versus Wednesday dilemma - 08:04 — Can Dopey cover other addictions? - 10:20 — Doug’s relapse after years in recovery - 12:23 — Snowblowing, beer, and a year of drinking - 14:44 — The wedding and Doug’s decision to come back - 17:01 — Ray episode listener comments begin - 21:11 — Shingles stories, Ray, and music - 23:24 — Deodorant, a proposed Dopey scent, and more comments - 27:43 — Theme song challenge preview and DopeyCon countdown

Timestamp notes 00:03:03 — DopeyCon countdown; Presley Gerber news and Dave’s treatment story 00:06:30 — San Francisco cychlorphine report 00:08:05 — Kevin O’Leary reaction and Nick Reiner replay comments 00:15:30 — Florida harm reduction conference announcement 00:17:33 — Episode 46 begins; Chris introduces Caitlin 00:19:55 — Chris asks Caitlin out; the roommate and scalp massage dispute 00:27:20 — Caitlin on getting sober in a small recovery town 00:35:30 — Caitlin’s Deer Tick concert and the night in the Bronx 00:44:20 — What happened with her boyfriend; friendship with exes 00:52:45 — Pokémon Go and an overdose news story 00:57:00 — Colin recalls Chris’s relapse and return to treatment 01:07:25 — Dave remembers Chris inviting him to take acid 01:09:50 — Colin hides under a log, steals a golf cart, and gets a DUI 01:17:00 — Colin’s advice on structure; Dave and Chris defend Dopey’s interruptions 01:22:55 — Wrap-up and song

Timestamp notes 00:02:42 — Dave introduces the Kevin episode, celebrates his Ben Stiller commercial, and shares a message about reaching out for help. 00:07:37 — Limited merch and DopeyCon updates. 00:12:25 — Adam calls in with a story about receiving heroin during jail visits. 00:14:28 — Unable to hide a balloon of heroin the usual way, Adam swallows it. 00:16:54 — The balloon finally passes. There are no gloves. 00:19:16 — Dave reacts and starts reading responses to Garrett McClendon’s episode. 00:26:17 — A listener marks episode 600; Dave prepares to bring in Kevin. 00:29:55 — Kevin O’Leary joins Dopey: Shark Tank, the American dream, and what viewers don’t see in a pitch. 00:34:40 — Kevin on his harsh reputation and his intolerance for bad business ideas. 00:37:00 — Drugs among the wealthy and Kevin’s longevity routine. 00:43:54 — The job that made Kevin decide he wanted to be his own boss. 00:48:35 — Kevin recalls working with people coming out of prison. 00:50:50 — Why he thinks pursuing wealth as a symbol of status leads to misery. 00:53:14 — “We’re rich as piss. What do we do now?” Success, emptiness, and a failed attempt to retire. 00:55:28 — John Mayer, guitars, watches, photography, and the problem of having too little time. 01:04:53 — Alcohol and Kevin’s memories of a college roommate’s drinking. 01:07:17 — Practice, consistency, Jane Fonda, and the decision to drink less. 01:11:55 — Drugs, sobriety, and the responsibility of performing for an audience. 01:14:12 — Kevin’s current work on data centers and power projects. 01:21:23 — Mark Cuban, Shark Tank investments, and a memorable cupcake pitch. 01:26:07 — Favorite records, Steely Dan’s Aja, and the sound of a great stereo. 01:33:13 — Marriage, sex addiction, and the start of “This or That.” 01:35:31 — Guitars, gold, Rogan, the Knicks, Trump, and Kevin’s fellow Sharks. 01:40:35 — Dave invites Kevin to DopeyCon and they wrap the interview. 01:43:02 — Dave’s recovery message and the rest of the Patreon comments. 01:45:28 — Behind the scenes: Kevin sets up his own camera and sends Dave an edited recording. 01:47:51 — Spotify listeners react to Garrett’s story. 01:55:02 — Dave clears up Aja versus Asia, launches the worst AA text contest, and signs off. 01:57:00 — Jake’s banjo cover of “Good So Bad.” 02:01:17 — “Forever in Debt.”

Timestamp notes 00:00 — Dave introduces the DopeyCon 2 Greatest Hits replay and remembers Colleen MC. 03:30 — DopeyCon on October 3 and comments on last week’s replay. 06:30 — Australian listener’s mushroom voicemail: falling in love with a “tree” that turns out to be a yucca bush. 13:16 — The original virtual DopeyCon 2 begins. 16:06 — Dave visits the building where Dopey started with Chris. 17:38 — Dopey Nation welcomes and messages. 21:24 — Scummy Morrison on motocross, drug use and treatment. 26:34 — Dave revisits another building from his history with heroin. 30:04 — More Dopey Nation stories and messages. 38:20 — Anders Osborne performs “Mind of a Junkie.” 45:36 — Jessica Kent’s story of addiction, arrest and prison. 54:09 — Alan joins Dave and Ray. 01:04:22 — Robert Iler’s story. 01:11:37 — Bam Margera’s DopeyCon message. 01:13:26 — Aurora and a Thanksgiving story from homelessness. 01:19:56 — Susan Wong performs her DopeyCon song. 01:26:15 — Mike Majlak’s crack and Xanax story. 01:31:39 — Max of Fucking Sober on recovery memes. 01:33:00 — Brandon Novak on addiction and rebuilding his relationship with his mother. 01:38:08 — Andy Roy’s story. 01:44:00 — More stories from the guests, including Bob Forrest’s punk-era drug story. 01:56:00 — Dr. Nzinga Harrison on gratitude. 02:03:40 — Marc Maron and other guest messages. 02:08:13 — Remembering Chris. 02:16:51 — Dave, Ray and Alan try to close the virtual convention. 02:18:30 — Scout Willis’s song. 02:23:09 — More family and Dopey Nation messages. 02:27:48 — Brad Katz talks about the idea that became Dopey. 02:34:00 — Dedication to Colleen MC and thanks to the people who made DopeyCon 2. 02:41:43 — Alan reads a review and tells Dave he hypes Dopey too much.