My pal Dave has proclaimed that Friday, July 24th will be Dopey Day. I wrote about his popular Dopey Podcast (touted as a "dark comedy of drug addiction") in March 2018. At the time he had a co-host, Chris. Just a few months later, Chris had died of an overdose. Dopey Day is to "commemorate and celebrate" Chris' life, and to honor others who have died from addiction.

Dave explains:

Chris died on that day in 2018 from a tragic overdose of a deadly mixture of powerful drugs. He died having almost five years clean. He died as a PHD candidate. He died as a loyal boyfriend and as a man who was earning renewed trust from his family and friends. But specific to this story, Chris died as the partner and Co-Host to Dave, who together, founded Dopey - The Podcast about Drugs, Addiction and Dumb Shit.

Dopey was created by addicts for addicts, and for those that might be recovery-curious. It was a way to normalize past behavior but more importantly it was a safe place to listen, to identify with and be a part of a group of misfits that can laugh at the craziest stories, fueled by drugs and alcohol that are frankly too debaucherous to make up. This group came to be known as the Dopey Nation, now numbering in the thousands. They are a self monitoring tribe, in and out of recovery that won’t judge or shame people for their past and will offer stories of their journey when asked to provide insight on living a happy and fulfilling life.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/22/dopey-day-to-honor-the-lives-o.html