Zac and Jay sit down with Dave Manheim – creator of Dopey, the darkly hilarious and deeply moving podcast about “drugs, addiction, and dumb sh*t,” or as he now calls it, “the dark comedy of drug addiction.” What began as two friends swapping war stories has grown into a full-blown cultural force, with a diehard community, celebrity guests, and an archive of the funniest, most heartbreaking, and most brutally honest stories in the recovery world.
Dave talks about launching Dopey just four months into sobriety with his late co-host Chris, the tragedy that reshaped the show, and why humor – especially the twisted kind – is a lifeline. He opens up about chasing guests like Marc Maron, Boy George, and Jason Biggs (and getting ghosted), his complicated feelings about being called “Dopey Dave,” and how working at Katz’s Deli taught him more about recovery than any rehab ever did.
They get into podcast beefs, the sad reality of grief that often shadows recovery, the great weed debate, and what happens when someone who never set out to “help people” accidentally does just that – over and over again. Dave’s smart, incredibly earnest and very, very funny.
If you’ve ever been told “once a junkie, always a junkie,” if you’ve experienced unexpected loss in recovery, or if you believe this addiction stuff is heavy enough and that humor is an essential ingredient in getting through it – please give this episode a watch or listen.
Link to Dave’s podcast: Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction
Connect with Zac
https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/
https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclark
https://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553
If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release:
(914) 588-6564
@releaserecovery