7 Years 43 days Sober - 10 Years Old7 Years 43 days Sober - 10 Years Old
I'm Quitting Alcohol
Comedian David Boyle shares a frank, sweary reflection on being 7 years sober and 10 years a dad, from old drunken photos to a World Cup day out with his son. He weighs the idea of ever drinking with his boy against the hard-won benefits of staying alcohol-free.
9:58•27 Jun 2026
Ten Years a Dad, Seven Years Sober: David Boyle on Fatherhood and Football
Episode Overview
- Quitting alcohol is described as the best decision he has ever made, especially when contrasted with old photos of himself drunk while holding his son.
- Ten years of fatherhood have completely changed how he sees himself, and he feels you shouldn’t even recognise who you were before kids if you’re doing it right.
- A father–son trip to a World Cup game shows how joyful and memorable sober parenting can be, even from the cheapest seats in the stadium.
- He acknowledges the temptation and social pressure around sharing drinks with a son but ultimately accepts that the downsides of alcohol are not worth it.
- Even small amounts of weed are hard for him to handle, highlighting how sensitive long-term sobriety can be to any mind-altering substance.
“That is the best decision for the best reason I have ever made is to quit drinking.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of alcohol recovery, dad life and brutally honest comedy. This short daily show follows Australian comedian David Boyle, who’s now 7 years and 43 days sober and marking another milestone: a full decade of being a dad.
In this episode, Boyle talks about his son turning 10 and the shock of seeing an old photo from eight years ago where, as he puts it, he’s “visibly fucking hammered” and “looked fucked” while holding his little boy. That snapshot hits him hard and cements his belief that quitting booze was “the best decision for the best reason” he ever made.
You’ll hear him recount a big father–son day out at a World Cup match at Foxborough, sitting in the very top row, high up in the stands, taking the train with the kid-friendly queue, and soaking up the atmosphere. There’s plenty of swearing, sharp observations about flopping footballers and drunk fans, and his trademark skewering of anything that annoys him. Boyle also wrestles with the idea of never sharing a drink with his son as an adult.
Watching other dads sink beers with their kids makes him question if he’s missing something, but he talks himself through the cost of going back to alcohol and “makes peace” with staying sober. For anyone wondering what long-term sobriety actually looks like on a normal day—kids, sport, arguments, gummies, and all—this episode offers a raw, funny snapshot.
It’s aimed at people who want an honest, no-filter look at life after alcohol, especially parents trying to break old patterns and be better for their kids. If you’re curious how staying off the booze can reshape ten years of fatherhood, this one might hit closer to home than you expect.
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