Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction
Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction · Aug 19, 2026 · 1:34:28
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Summary
Interventionist, social worker, author and longtime Dopey favorite Joe Schrank returns to record with Dave in person for the first time since the early days with Chris.
Joe explains why he believes the traditional rehab industry often confuses compliance with actual healing—and why recovery should be measured by improvement, reduced harm and staying alive, not only perfect abstinence. Dave and Joe dig into Brad Pitt’s decision to drink moderately after years of sobriety, whether alcoholics can ever successfully return to controlled drinking, and why celebrities speaking publicly about recovery matters.
They also discuss kratom and 7-OH addiction, medication-assisted treatment, cannabis in recovery, mental health care and the danger of treating relapse as a moral failure. Joe shares memories of employing Chris, how he responded to Chris’s relapses and the shame Chris carried afterward.
Plus: a drug-addled FedEx driver steals a customer’s mailbox, Dave’s painfully awkward encounter with Seth Rogen, Joe’s upcoming book and screenplay, DopeyCon, Andy Cohen, baseball and the possible return of Rehab Confidential.
ALL THAT AND MORE!
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Episodes: Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction