6 Years 332 days - Disaster Averted

6 Years 332 days - Disaster Averted

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? In this short, punchy episode of "I'm Quitting Alcohol", comedian David Boyle almost checks out in the most on-brand way possible: "He got hit by a bus chasing a soccer ball." You’ll hear him recount, in graphic and hilarious detail, how a simple kick-around with his son on their steep driveway turns into a full-speed tumble towards a busy road and an oncoming bus.

Boyle’s style is raw, sweary, and fast-paced. One minute he’s talking about barefoot shoes and fascia, the next he’s questioning chemtrails and laughing at his own ageing body: "I'm an old cunt now. What am I thinking? Just let the ball go." The whole thing feels like having a mate tell you a completely ridiculous near-death story in the pub – except he’s off the booze and processing his life out loud instead.

The show, a five-minute daily podcast charting his shift from "alcoholic maniac" to "sober lunatic", uses episodes like this to capture the ordinary chaos of sober life: parenting, health obsessions, conspiracies, aches and pains, and that stubborn urge to prove you’ve still “got it” even when your hip says otherwise. There’s a surprising tenderness in how he talks about his son’s horrified reaction and his own determination to act tough while "barely" able to walk.

For anyone who likes their recovery talk served with dark humour, unfiltered language, and zero self-pity, this snapshot of Boyle’s day – chemtrails, air purifiers, skinned limbs and all – shows how staying off alcohol doesn’t magically remove the madness of life. It just means you’re clear-eyed enough to remember it. After hearing this, you might catch yourself asking: is chasing that ball – literal or metaphorical – actually worth it?