7 Years 160 days - Bentonville7 Years 160 days - Bentonville
I'm Quitting Alcohol
Comedian David Boyle recounts an exhausting journey to Bentonville, Arkansas, from a faulty plane door to a budget hotel and a packed local comedy festival. He reflects on performing short sets for American crowds while continuing his daily alcohol-free journey.
7:14•22 Oct 2026
Jet Lag, Cheap Hotels and Sober Stand-Up in Bentonville
Episode Overview
- Long travel days and delays can test patience, even years into sobriety.
- Cheap accommodation often adds extra stress, but can become part of the story.
- Short comedy sets force a performer to tighten material and make tough choices.
- Different crowds require adjustment and experimentation with style and pacing.
- A daily, unfiltered account of sober life shows recovery as a series of ordinary, messy days.
“"We can't shut the fucking door" became the soundtrack to a three-hour delay on a tiny plane to Arkansas.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober while life keeps throwing curveballs? This short episode of "I'm Quitting Alcohol" drops you right into comedian David Boyle's chaotic travel day, seven years and 160 days into life without booze. You’ll hear Boyle, exhausted and sweary, holed up in a budget hotel in Bentonville, Arkansas after a nightmare journey involving two flights and one stubborn aeroplane door.
As he puts it, "we can't shut the fucking door" becomes the running joke and frustration as maintenance and a push crew spend hours trying to fix the problem before everyone is finally moved to a new plane. The podcast’s style is raw, unfiltered, and very human.
Boyle talks like a mate at the pub (minus the drinks), dropping you into the grind of travel, a $75-a-night hotel that offers very little, and a misjudged "two and a half miles" walk that turns into an hour-long slog to his gig. Once he reaches the Arkansas Big Diamond comedy festival, the tone shifts from complaint to appreciation.
He describes "the locals, the heart and the soul of fucking Arkansas comedy" and admits being surprised by how good the other comedians are. You’ll get a peek into the realities of stand-up: tight 5–7 minute sets, trying to understand American crowds, and the challenge of squeezing long, story-based bits into short slots. Boyle explains how shorter sets are "tightening shit up a bit" but also why it’s tricky when most of his jokes run five minutes or more.
For anyone on a sobriety journey who wants honesty, humour, and the everyday messiness of staying off the drink, this episode shows how recovery can look on a random, tiring day far from home. Ever wondered what sober life feels like when you’re jet-lagged, starving, and still chasing the mic?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.