You can hear the moment the penny drops for Dave Dillon: he’s sitting in a doctor’s office for his son’s ADHD assessment, the symptoms are listed one by one, and suddenly his whole past makes sense. Dave grew up in Kilamanagh, Dublin 24, and spent years believing his racing mind, big emotions and constant restlessness were just “the way he was”. By 12, drugs became the quickest way to quiet his head, and what started as hash escalated into weekend-long sessions, debt, shame and a life built around chasing the next escape.

We talk openly about the darker turns too: crack cocaine, paranoia, and drug-induced psychosis where every sound becomes evidence and every doubt becomes a conspiracy. Dave describes what it’s like to be trapped in that state, how it damages families, and how suicidal thinking can be fuelled by drink and drugs even when the person isn’t truly ready to die. It’s a tough listen at times, but it’s grounded, human, and full of hard-won clarity.

Recovery, for Dave, doesn’t begin with a simple decision. It begins with support, routine, TRP, meetings, peer groups, and the 12-step programme, plus the humility to admit that “clean time” isn’t the same as recovery. We also get into why he’s now writing Nanny Kayes, a screen project built from lived experience to raise awareness about addiction and psychosis, and why fast gas and youth drug trends need urgent action in Ireland.

If this conversation lands with you, please subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of Dave’s story do you wish more people understood?

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