How Drug Stories Sparked a Recovery Community

As much as we wish we could walk out of treatment, cured, that’s simply not the case. When you’re recovering from addiction, the work never stops. And finding what motivates you to stay sober isn’t always easy. While yoga, meditation, 12 Step, and prayer bring comfort to many in recovery, they don’t work for everyone. So, what do you do when can’t find what keeps you grounded, when you feel alone in your recovery? Many tune in to listen to Dopey Podcast.

Dopey Podcast is far from the soothing sounds you hear during meditation or the calmness you find in a church, but for thousands of loyal listeners, the weekly podcast is just what they need. It’s a supportive recovery community that poses no judgment and holds nothing back.

Created by two Mountainside alumni, Dave and Chris, the podcast series set out to be nothing more than a chance for two guys to share their wildest drug stories. Little did they know that their fun, creative outlet would morph into a community that many attribute their sobriety to.

When they first created Dopey, Dave had four months of sobriety under his belt, and Chris had two and a half years. The plan was always to talk about drugs and addiction. Dave says, “In the beginning, recovery was kind of on the back burner, so to speak.”

But over the years the show has evolved. While the show is still filled with stories of debauchery and the rawness that initially attracted many listeners, it also serves as a reminder of how much better life is sober. Sadly, it also highlights the true and often heartbreaking reality of addiction.
A little over a year ago, Chris tragically suffered a fatal overdose. It was a shock to Dave and their listeners, known as Dopey Nation. As difficult as it was for him, Dave got back on the mic the following week, not missing an episode. In doing so, he unintentionally gave courage to listeners who were also learning how to deal with grief in recovery.

Dave now uses his platform to connect with others in recovery and provide them with the understanding and supportive community they may not otherwise have. While entertainment is a key element in his podcasts, for most listeners, the takeaway message of Dopey isn’t how fun life on drugs used to be but that life is so much better in recovery.
Much of the podcast’s success lies in its ability to entertain people, without communicating this message in a heavy-handed way. During the podcast, Dave and Chris shied away from talking about 12 Step, for example – not because the lessons weren’t valuable, but because they wanted to avoid talking at their audience. In an interview, Dave explained, “If we start being preachy, I just don’t think the show functions properly. I think the point of the show is to know that you can get sober and enjoy your life. That your life can get better being clean.”

While Dave often shares his own war stories on his podcast, he wants to make one thing clear to Dopey Nation: he loves being in recovery.

To learn more about Dave’s journey on Dopey and how Dopey Nation came to be, listen to Mountainside’s [full podcast interview](http://mountainside.com/blog/recovery/interview-with-dave-from-dopey-podcast), where we turn the tables on him!