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Does Podtrash have a Alcohol/Drug Problem?

Podtrash - Alcohol Abuse I started this article a couple of times in the last day or so but it’s a difficult subject to breach for several reasons. If you take the funny approach to answering these questions, is it really worth writing about? Hell anyone can make a joke, right? Look at Booney, while his joke batting average is only around .136, even he can be funny.

If we’re to be honest and examine these questions using a serious analytical type approach, doesn’t that spoil the party? Like when you’re at a rock’n bar or club and everyone’s having a great time, then you decide to start pointing out who the drunks, racists and homophobes are. Doesn’t that make you the douche? After all, the party on Podtrash is still going on, and who died and made you king judgmental bastard of the pack? Yes Joey died, but that wasn't his title.

So of the 3 questions asked, we’re going to try and examine number 1 first. It’s probably the least difficult to address of the 3. Again the questions are;

  1. Does Podtrash Have an Alchohol/Drug Problem?
  2. Is Podtrash Racists and/or Homophobic?
  3. Will Podtrash survive in 2017?

Podtrash - Alcohol AbuseSo, does PT have a drinking or drug problem? To be fair we have to begin with the podcasters who have had podcasts on PT during the last several months or even years. If we listed them all and put a tidy little checkmark in a YES or NO box as to whether or not those podcasters indulged in drugs on-air (including alcohol) or right before airing, then yes. It’s fair to conclude that a majority of PT hosts indulge in those types of activities, but is it a problem? And if it is a problem, is it a problem for PT or is it a problem for just those individuals? Also do these activities hamper or even help those podcasters actually host a show? See, even the easiest question of the 3 asked, is so fucking complicated that it would be much simpler to shrug off and not think about. But it’s the big fucking Pnk Elephant in the room, so should we really avoid talking about it? Will avoiding the issue of alcohol and drugs on PT cause it to fester and eventually take down PT and/or a host?

Podtrash - Drug AbuseSo the simple answer to, does PT have a problem with drugs and alcohol, is yes. PT listeners have seen or heard podcasters who were “blacked out” during shows or those podcasters who may be functional but fucked up in a manner that makes it obvious that it effects their content. This is not to point fingers, but to say listeners have heard the complete spectrum of drug and alcohol type of influences from most of the podcasters. They have been witness to adverse changes in a given show or attitude, which whether admitted to or not, drugs & alcohol often played a direct role in. So by definition, the conclusion of whether or not it’s a problem on PT is an unavoidable, yes. Let’s be honest and real, it happens a lot and let’s also be honest and admit that the listeners of PT LOVE it, we can’t stop watching the train wrecks and ensuing drama. So for the most part as far as listeners are concerned, keep up the party, it’s no problem what so ever. Enable you say? Hell we’ll enable you, here are some empathizing words and an ‘atta boy’, now get back on that train so we can listen for the wreck. Then after we the listeners feel better about ourselves for giving them a proverbial ‘Pat on the Back’ (there are a lot of circle jerks), we sit back and laugh at those silly monkeys catching themselves on fire again, and cheer with enthusiasm.

It's a Podtrash PartySo why label drugs and alcohol as a problem? After all, the host are voluntarily participating and the listeners are voluntarily listening to the results. Maybe if one considers sustainability and the big picture, then the importance of labeling may become more understandable. Minimally it creates an understanding that it’s something that should be addressed or improved upon. How to “fix” it is beyond the scope of this article, but pointing out the relevance of doing so is not. The unavoidable consequence of any person with a real drug and alcohol problem is the Big Crash. Most have seen or experienced it in real life first hand or with a friend or family member. The Big Crash is either emotional (which we’ve seen on PT) or physical (which we’ve also seen on PT). During that time, it’s all lol’s for fans but not so much PT as an entity or brand. Post-crash recovery for individuals usually entails returning to primal priorities like self and family (takes ball and goes home), or it’s an attitude change that effects the 'funny'. As listeners, we have unlimited entertainment options (the internet), and the podcasters carry on as normal for the most part. So who’s getting the short end of the stick after the Big Crash? I mean besides the obvious answer of the podcasters friends or family. It’s my assertion that the overall consequences of any drug and alcohol influenced problems on the network may ultimately fall on PT as a brand. But what the hell do I know, hand me that bottle and stop bogarting your coke. It’s time to party.