Murf Meyer is Self-Medicated - a new podcast about addiction and drug policy

Comedian Murf Meyer is a former heroin addict and current alcoholic with twenty-five years experience (ab)using all sorts of substances. As host of the serialized podcast Murf Meyer is Self-Medicated, Murf will explore the connection between addiction and mental health by mining various stages of his life for comedy, empathy, and insight. His comedic POV is inspired and informed by the basic principles of harm reduction, and he currently practices harm reduction to manage his own problematic drug use.

Each episode of the podcast, Murf will share personal stories involving adolescent binge drinking and drug use, childhood sexual trauma, legal troubles, a crippling heroin habit, and many other intimate moments from his past. He’ll also be speaking with people in the entertainment industry about their own experiences with drugs, along with professional advocates and educators from the Harm Reduction movement.

Through humor and compassion, the goal of Murf Meyer is Self-Medicated is to lift the stigma surrounding people who use drugs, and help minimize the negative consequences associated with America’s punitive drug policies.

The first livestream show will take place on September 18th at 9:00pm ET on YouTube with special guests Chris Gethard and Dr. Amanda Risser, Senior Medical Director of Substance Use Disorder Services at Central City Concern in Portland, Oregon. Future guests include Hole drummer Patty Schemel, comedian Sydnee Washington, filmmaker Erin Lee Carr and additional regional harm reduction workers. Viewers will be invited to call in to the show, to engage with the harm reduction guests for advice or support. Call in phone number will be listed on the show’s website.

In addition to full livestream shows via YouTube, Murf is scheduled to chat with additional guests throughout September, to raise awareness around National Recovery Month, via Instagram Live at @murfmeyer.

The podcast will debut on November 27th, a combo of memoir-style storytelling, personal interviews, and gonzo journalism, all centered around addiction and presented through a comedic lens. Listeners of the series are given a personal, topical, and universally thematic exploration of addiction from a comedic perspective.

Murf Meyer is Self-Medicated was one of the winning pitches selected for the 2019 Laughter Lab sponsored by Comedy Central.