6 Years 340 days - Dirty Nelly's

6 Years 340 days - Dirty Nelly's

What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? Comedian David Boyle gives a raw, funny slice of sober life as he hits the town in Boston on “6 Years 340 days - Dirty Nelly's”. After nearly seven years without alcohol, he spends a late night in the city’s North End, trailing his drinking companions through Italian restaurants and into an old-school dive bar called Dirty Nelly’s.

You’ll hear him paint a picture of the bar’s chaos: an Irish bartender free-pouring gin and Jack and Coke at what he reckons is an “80% alcohol, 20% soda” ratio, and his wife and her friends getting progressively drunk while he sticks to coffee, tea, and a strict-ish diet that goes out the window for pasta and a few drags of a cigarette.

The heart of the episode is his blunt reflection on whether anyone is actually having fun drinking anymore. He admits to a flicker of jealousy, saying he could “really tear this joint up tonight,” but then questions the whole idea of booze-fuelled fun: “Was I ever having fun? It felt like I was having fun all the time.

But when I look out into the world now and I see the people fucking drinking… it doesn't look like they are having fun.” Boyle contrasts his old, rowdy, fight-risking nights out with his current sober mindset, where the easiest option is just to walk away from annoying people instead of turning it into drama. It’s quick, crude, and very honest, ideal if you like recovery stories that don’t get preachy and still make you laugh.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you were actually enjoying those wild nights or just enduring them, this episode might hit closer to home than you expect.