David Manheim | Heroin Recovery, Grief, & Building the Dopey Nation

David Manheim | Heroin Recovery, Grief, & Building the Dopey Nation

From Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories by Recovery.com | Addiction, Sobriety, and Mental Health Support

April 15, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

David Manheim shares his experiences with heroin addiction, grief, and the journey of building the Dopey Nation.

From interviewing Coldplay while high to losing his best friend and co-host to a fatal relapse, David Manheim reveals the raw, unfiltered truth about heroin addiction and the grit required for long-term recovery. As the creator of the legendary Dopey podcast, David spent two decades navigating the "frantic energy" of a career at MTV and the legendary tables of Katz’s Deli while battling a severe substance use disorder. In this moving episode of Recoverycast, David discusses the "war stories"...

People in this episode

Guest: David Manheim

Topics covered

  • heroin addiction
  • grief
  • recovery
  • substance use disorder
  • Dopey podcast
  • mental health

Keywords

  • heroin recovery
  • grief
  • Dopey podcast
  • substance use disorder
  • mental health
  • addiction stories

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dopey podcast, MTV

Places: Katz’s Deli

More episodes of Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories podcast page.