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Dave Landau shares gritty journey with Joe Rogan — from Zoloft struggles and addiction to comedy redemption
Today, Blaze Media’s own Dave Landau, known for his biting wit on “Normal World,” joined podcasting titan Joe Rogan on “The Joe Rogan Experience” to share the raw and unfiltered story of his addiction, recovery, and redemption. The duo reflect on last week’s devastating school shooting in Minneapolis, where a transgender-identifying male opened fire during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring several others. “Seven [school shootings] in a row have been trans, except one was nonbinary, which is just diet trans,” Rogan says. “The problem is, some people get to a certain point in their life, and they have no friends and no community and no identity and no life, and they're not successful, and they feel like s**t, and then they have gender dysphoria on top of that, and then they're probably on a bunch of SSRIs,” he speculates, pointing to the undeniable “connection between mass shootings and psychiatric drugs.” “Everyone knows [they’re connected], and it's just this dirty secret that no one talks about because all the media is paid off by the pharmaceutical drug companies, and nobody wants to make this correlation/connection because you also risk the wrath of all these people that are on them,” he adds. Dave, who knows a thing or two about psychiatric drugs, shares that he’s currently in the throes of getting off Zoloft — one of the most common SSRIs on the market — after using it for 10 years. Even though he’s told his doctors that the medication is worsening his depression, they’ve insisted he stay on it. But Dave, having detoxed from several substances over the years, is bent on getting clean. “I took myself off of them for five days, and I felt good. And then I got really queasy and really nauseous, like my brain started kind of misfiring, so now I’m weaning it off a little more correctly as opposed to just going cold turkey,” he tells Rogan. “I already feel better being on less, but I was told for the last 10 years that that’s what I should be on, and I think it's had a very negative effect [on] me.” Rogan then inquires about what led Dave to start taking SSRIs in the first place. Dave shares that his mother’s suicide was the catalyst that sent him to the psychiatrist. But even though his mother, who was bipolar, was on antidepressants when she killed herself, his doctor insisted that medication was the best option for him too. But life had already been hard long before the tragic loss of his mother. When Dave was a child, his father, a Vietnam veteran, developed soft tissue sarcoma due to exposure to Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.“The VA was great. They did nothing for our family. They denied both of my mom’s claims. My dad lost all of his money,” Dave says, noting that his father died when he was just 18 years old. The trauma of Dave’s family’s struggles and a genetic predisposition toward mental health struggles drove him to self-medicate as a teen. From recreational and prescription drugs to cigarettes and alcohol, Dave tells Rogan the wild stories of how he overcame a range of addictions, starting in high school. At one point, he was even institutionalized because his behavior was so erratic from drugs and drinking. He shares the darkly humorous story of being attacked by his roommate, who believed he was a werewolf. “He’s jumping on top of me, and I grabbed a lamp to hit him with it, but it was f**king glued down because it’s a mental hospital. ... And he’s on top trying to bite me, and I’m, like, holding him back. And that’s when [hospital staff] came in. ... They hit him with the syringe,” he laughs. When Dave was nearing high school graduation, an intuitive teacher saw the comedic potential behind his classroom disruptions and urged him to pursue comedy. With his parents’ support, Dave enrolled in Second City — a renowned improvisational comedy theater and training center in Detroit. Comedy proved to be a sanctuary from his depression and the perfect way to make light of his hardships. “When I finally found that outlet, it was wonderful, dude,” he says. Unfortunately, addiction followed him into the field, especially during his days as a road comic. “I’m going into these bars and nightclubs. I’m like, ‘Hey, do you have a phone jack I could use for a few minutes?’ ... I got this ankle monitor, and I got to plug it in somewhere to a phone jack so they can download to make sure I’m not drinking,” Dave recalls. Salvation from substance abuse finally came in 2009. After 13 arrests, four DUIs, and the threat of prison looming, Dave decided he would get sober. It was a tough journey that involved using a breathalyzer to start his car and staying vigilant to avoid relapse. But eventually, he conquered his addictions.Today, Dave, now 43, co-hosts Blaze Media’s comedy show “Normal World,” where he channels the wild tales of his past and his skepticism of Big Pharma into biting comedy that resonates with those who crave his unique blend of raw truth and dark humor. Dave’s book, “Party of One: A Fuzzy Memoir,” chronicles his journey from addiction to redemption. Living with his wife and young son, Dave finds stability in family and making wholesome memories. To hear his full interview with Rogan — covering Detroit’s decline, organized crime, corporate job loss, and wildlife issues — check out the video below.
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