7 Years 4 days - Ask Boyle7 Years 4 days - Ask Boyle
I'm Quitting Alcohol
Australian comedian David Boyle marks 7 years and 4 days sober with a rough-voiced rant about family, missed calls and imagined arguments, before turning inward to answer the simple question he wishes someone would ask him: "How are you?" The result mixes crude humour with unexpected reflections on loneliness, meaning and whether everything – even a sore throat – matters in the long run.
10:04•19 May 2026
Existential Laughs and Missed Calls at 7 Years Sober
Episode Overview
- Sobriety can coexist with crude humour and dark jokes, offering a way to release tension rather than bottle it up.
- Even years into recovery, family dynamics and old resentments can still feel raw and triggering.
- Simply asking someone "How are you?" can matter deeply, especially for those who often feel unseen or taken for granted.
- Long-term sobriety can bring up big questions about meaning, legacy and whether life truly matters in the long run.
- Every thought and small moment can feel significant in recovery, reinforcing the idea that life – even the uncomfortable parts – counts.
“It’s been so long since someone asked me how I was that I don’t even know how I am anymore… Sometimes I feel like I’m just a ghost in my own house.”
Curious about how others find their way through sobriety? This short, sharp episode of "I'm Quitting Alcohol" drops you straight into David Boyle’s messy, hilarious inner world as he hits 7 years and 4 days off the booze. Boyle’s voice is still rough – which he blames on "all the blowies" with his usual crude charm – and he’s dodging two missed calls from his mum, who’s likely heard his recent rant about her and his brother heading to China.
He paints a chaotic family picture, imagining the voicemail to come: "Me and your brother will be fine, thank you very much. You’re an arsehole, you know that. You’re a complete and utter fucking arsehole." It’s raw, petty, and very funny – the kind of family drama many people in recovery will quietly recognise.
The episode then flips into his "Ask Boyle" segment, where he admits he’s too tired to dig out a real question and instead answers the one he’s always wanted someone to ask: "Hey Boyle, how’s things with you?" What starts as a joke turns into something surprisingly emotional.
He confesses, "It’s been so long since someone asked me how I was that I don’t even know how I am anymore," and talks about feeling like "a ghost" in his own house. From there, Boyle drifts into big questions about meaning, God and eternity, wondering if anything matters when future generations won’t even know he existed.
Yet he lands on a strangely comforting thought: "Nothing is ever really created or destroyed… every thought, every flicker of imagination, it all matters." If you’re sober, sober-curious, or just need a brutally honest laugh about the loneliness and absurdity of life without alcohol, this bite-sized episode gives you comedy, existential dread and a surprising shot of meaning in under ten minutes. When was the last time someone genuinely asked you how you are?
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