7 Years 26 days Sober - Present Faults7 Years 26 days Sober - Present Faults
I'm Quitting Alcohol
Comedian David Boyle reflects on more than seven years of sobriety by brutally listing his own faults and habits, from procrastination to social anxiety. He talks through how purpose, goals and choosing effort over comfort might help him shift from self-critique to meaningful change.
12:06•10 Jun 2026
Owning Every Fault: David Boyle’s Brutally Honest Look at Himself After 7 Years Sober
Episode Overview
- Writing down present-day faults can expose uncomfortable truths, but also shows exactly where change is possible.
- Purpose needs to come before goals; without a clear purpose, goal-setting feels pointless and easy to abandon.
- Consistently choosing comfort over hard work and time efficiency leads to feeling stuck and "completely fucked".
- Facing fears is essential for progress, but it becomes easier when those fears are tied to a clear path and purpose.
- Radical fantasies and extreme ideas may be tempting, but real growth often means finding a realistic, worldly purpose instead.
“First you need a purpose, then you need to set goals, and then you need to walk the path.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? In this short, punchy episode, comedian and long-time abstainer David Boyle pulls back the curtain on his own personality flaws with his trademark blunt humour and zero-filter honesty. Working through Jordan Peterson’s self-authoring programme, Boyle hits the "present me faults" section and quickly realises ten faults isn’t going to cut it.
He jokes that every flaw he ticks is "hanji and ten" – a full score – and rattles through a long list that ranges from social awkwardness and procrastination to hot temper and emotional detachment. At one point he deadpans, "With those few little minor personality flaws... just a couple of things to work on there," giving anyone who’s ever cringed at their own behaviour a reason to laugh in recognition.
You’ll hear him talk about chasing too many interests at once, wasting time, choosing comfort over effort, and feeling like life has no clear direction. From his perspective, the real issue isn’t just bad habits, but a lack of purpose: "Why would you set goals if you have no purpose?" For Boyle, purpose comes first, then goals, then what he calls walking "the path" – choosing time and hard work over comfort, and facing the fears that keep him stuck.
Sobriety weaves through the episode as the backdrop that made this level of honesty possible. The daily, no-script style gives it a raw, diary-like feel, making it ideal for people in recovery who want an unfiltered look at how messy self-improvement can be. If you’ve ever written a list of your faults and thought, "This is gross," you’ll feel right at home.
It’s a rough-edged, funny, and surprisingly practical reminder that facing yourself is uncomfortable – but it’s also where change starts. So what faults would end up on your own "hanji and ten" list?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.