7 Years 136 days - Nervous7 Years 136 days - Nervous
I'm Quitting Alcohol
David Boyle talks about a strict week-long break from his phone, sharing how it transformed his sleep, mood and family life. He also reflects on the risk of phone addiction replacing alcohol and the anxiety of deciding what to do when his self-imposed ban ends.
9:45•28 Sept 2026
Phone Addiction, Sleep, and Sobriety: David Boyle’s 7-Day Shock
Episode Overview
- Removing smartphone use for a week led to dramatically better sleep, confirmed by sleep-tracking data.
- Phone use was identified as a major factor harming wellbeing, more than coffee, exercise, or other lifestyle factors.
- Without the phone, David felt far more present and patient with his family, especially his children.
- He recognises that addictive behaviour can shift from alcohol to other habits like phones, sugar, and cigarettes.
- He is considering permanently limiting smartphone access, possibly switching to a basic phone while keeping key tools on a laptop.
“You remove that and your life is at least 60 to 70 percent better minimum.”
What secrets to maintaining sobriety can be uncovered when the problem isn’t booze anymore, but a glowing screen in your hand? This short, punchy episode of *I’m Quitting Alcohol* catches David Boyle on day 7 of a strict “input ban” – no phone, no TV, no reading, no scrolling – and he’s absolutely buzzing about the results… while being terrified of what happens next.
In his usual raw and sweary style, Boyle talks through the “Un-fucking-believable” shift in his sleep after ditching his smartphone. Using his Whoop data, he explains how his sleep need and actual sleep have finally matched up for the first time in hundreds of days.
He jokes about smashing “three triple shots” of coffee by 9:30am and still sleeping better, which makes the culprit crystal clear: “the whole time it was just my phone.” You’ll hear how this break has made him more present with his kids, walking around the play centre instead of sitting at a table glued to his screen, barking at them to sort themselves out.
He talks about going to bed bored, putting on an eye mask, and just watching his thoughts until sleep comes, chaos and all. The episode leans hard into an uncomfortable truth for anyone in recovery: addictive patterns don’t vanish, they shape-shift. Boyle openly compares phone addiction to alcohol, sugar and cigarettes, calling the phone “the most damaging to my life” and even half-joking that he’d “be more fun” as an alcoholic than as a phone addict.
Teetering on the edge of his ban lifting, he’s honest about being nervous, wondering if he’ll slide straight back into old habits or switch to a Nokia and keep his smartphone locked away. Anyone wrestling with their own “harmless” habits will recognise the tension – and might walk away asking, what’s the one input they’d dare to remove?
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