13 - Beer Balls w/ Mirai13 - Beer Balls w/ Mirai
Self-Medicated: Weekly Dose
Comedian Murf Meyer and actor Mirai chat about the film Cocaine Bear, 80s anti-drug adverts, animals accidentally getting high and simple harm reduction tips. Their playful conversation mixes humour with candid reflections on alcohol, other drugs and the right to say no.
31:39•1 Feb 2023
Cocaine Bears, Beer Balls and Saying No: Mirai Joins Self-Medicated
Episode Overview
- Media often frames drug use in sensational and stigmatising ways, which can overshadow real harm reduction messages.
- Animals and people cannot give meaningful consent under pressure, reinforcing the importance of respecting boundaries around substance use.
- Empty syringes and injecting air are dangerous, highlighting a simple but vital harm reduction point about safer injection.
- Alcohol is linked here with aggression through the idea of "beer balls", reminding listeners that booze can fuel fights more than some other drugs.
- Having "the right to say no" sounds positive, but slogans without honest discussion can miss the complexity of people’s relationships with drugs.
“"Don't eat cocaine if it flies out of a plane and you just see it in the middle of the woods. I think that's good advice, yeah."”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This episode leans hard into comedy while still keeping harm reduction in the spotlight. Comedian and host Murf Meyer, a former heroin user and self-described "current alcoholic", brings on L.A.-based actor and voice artist Mirai for a fast, funny chat about drugs, stigma and pop culture.
The pair kick off with the headline-grabbing film "Cocaine Bear", riffing on the true story of a black bear who ate a stash of cocaine and died. Murf jokes about Hollywood turning the real bear into a slasher villain, while Mirai deadpans that, "I think that's good advice, yeah" when told, "don't eat cocaine if it flies out of a plane".
They swap stories about animals unintentionally getting high – from a ferret that allegedly loved weed smoke to Mirai’s college bunny who soaked up second-hand cannabis and "has never been more loving". It’s funny on the surface, but the message stays clear: animals can’t consent, and neither can anyone pressured into using. Murf also plays an over-the-top 1980s anti-drug musical advert, packed with jazz hands, skateboards and a trash-can lid piled with syringes, pills and joints.
Mirai praises the choreography but questions the message: you’re loudly told you have "the right to say no" without any real discussion about autonomy, nuance or safer use. The episode rounds out with Murf’s parody of "Inside the Actors Studio" – "Inside the User Studio" – where Mirai names alcohol and coffee as her favourites, admits weed doesn’t agree with her, and jokes she’d rather sell mushrooms than cocaine.
It’s light, silly and candid, while still reinforcing simple harm reduction advice like never injecting air from an empty syringe. If you enjoy honest drug talk, humour and a non-judgemental take on use, this one might give you a laugh while nudging you to think about your own relationship with substances. What would your answer be if someone asked, "What is your favourite drug?"
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