Dopey 548: 13 & Pregnant, Army ‘Shitbag,’ Gabby Eagan! Head butting Cops, TMZ Mugshots, and a Year Sober (Almost)”
Life Story & Background Grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina; now lives just on Kentucky side of Cincinnati. Teen pregnancy: became pregnant at 13; relationship with an older boyfriend (16/17) before the birth; isolated from peers; involvement in church/family tension; switched to homeschooling. Parents helped significantly; raised a child very young while also managing education. Early Substance Use & Escalation First got high with weed at 12, just before pregnancy. Also used “Triple C’s” (cough & cold medicine) in middle school. Alcohol became a major issue around 16, particularly after heartbreaks and loss of self-worth. Partied, drank heavily, had hospital stays (alcohol poisoning). Experimented with other substances (cocaine, pills, etc.) afterwards. Military / Army Period Joined Army at 17; motive was financial stability and ability to provide for her son. Trained: basic + advanced training; worked as a diesel mechanic. Saw military culture of drinking, party atmosphere; acid was used by people around her because it often didn’t show up in drug tests. Legal Issues, Crises, & Turning Points Several arrests, notably Vegas (2021) and Nashville (2024); incidents involving fighting with police, extreme intoxication, blackouts, waking in jail, etc. Bipolar disorder: suspected earlier, diagnosed at 21; used various medications but has since been unmedicated. Recognizes highs (mania) and lows (depression) and the danger of living in extremes. Social Media, Business & Life as an Influencer TikTok fame started during COVID (2020-21); posting daily life moments, mom burnout, relatable mental breakdowns. Viral moments like joking about giving baby vodka, telling her teen-pregnancy story. Run a tie-dye business called Dicey Dice, opened in 2022. Closed the store temporarily after a breakdown and sobriety; now runs pop-ups. Huge demand; sometimes long wait times. Sobriety & Recovery Had wake-up moment September 20, 2024: invited by Rachel to a sober podcast meeting (Against All Odds) unexpectedly, which triggered realization she needed to stop. After that, she has not smoked or drank. Intense physical withdrawal with weed: “couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, sweating, stomach hurt,” etc. Quitting weed harder than quitting booze in some respects. Support system: Sober Girls group chat, accountability groups, some online meetings, family help. She notes that she’s “healing, not healed.” Personal Philosophy & Who She Is Now Boundary setting: trying to say no more, protect her time, stop doing things just because people expect it of her. Honesty & vulnerability: very unfiltered person; does not hide her mess, her shame; uses that in content. Ambition for short-term goals: master her schedule, keep consistency, stay true to self over what others want. Memorable Quotes (verbatim from transcript) Here are quotes exactly as she said them (from your transcript): “I was a huge stoner … that was my whole brand for a long time.” “I have a TikTok following. And it’s like, dude, I am just like you, like stop making this weird.” “I didn’t think I had a problem until I went to jail for the second time, like March of 2024.” “I’ve been completely absent on everything since that day, September 20th, 2024.” “Quitting weed was so much harder … if I didn’t smoke every morning, I would be sick to my stomach.” “I’m healing, I’m not healed.”
Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction
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Show Notes
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thedopeyfoundation/1765668
PATREON:
This week on Dopey! We are joined by Tik ToK superstar Gabby Eagen! But first we hear some of the notes and comments from last weeks Dopey - we read an email from a Russian film maker heroin addict who used to get high off poppy seeds. The we hear a crazy drug story from a crazy dopey who gopt stung in his eye by a bee! Then we hear from Gabby! Dave chops it up with TikTok creator and tie-dye shop owner Gabby (Gabrielle) Egan. She grew up in Fayetteville, NC; first got high on Triple C’s in middle school and smoked weed at 12; got pregnant at 13; joined the Army at 17 (diesel mechanic) and drank heavy. Fame hit on TikTok during COVID. Two alcohol arrests landed her on TMZ (Vegas blackout/“kicking a cop,” later a Nashville headbutt). In Sept 2024, Rachel from Against All Odds brought her to an AA meeting—Gabby white-knuckled a hotel night with no weed, flew home, and hasn’t smoked or drank since (sober date 9/20/24). She talks bipolar I (diagnosed 21), quitting carts/edibles, withdrawals, motherhood of four (his/hers/ours), pop-up tie-dye hustle, anxiety about meeting followers IRL, and how group accountability (Sober Girls chat) plus sitting in discomfort keeps her straight. She caps it by telling her whole story in 60 seconds. ALL THAT PLUS MORE on a brand new edition of that good old dopey show!
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