Episode Three Hundred Thirty FourEpisode Three Hundred Thirty Four
Bob Forrest's Don't Die Podcast
Bob Forrest, Chuck and Elijah talk about sober fatherhood, modern parenting, political division, war and the fentanyl crisis while stressing service and forgiveness as central to staying clean. The conversation combines humour with candid stories about families, recovery and the need for personal change.
1:13:37•24 Jun 2026
Sober Dads, Mean Politics and Modern Parenting: Bob Forrest on Service and Forgiveness
Episode Overview
- Hands-off, old-school parenting may build more autonomy than overprotective, best-friend styles that keep kids dependent at home.
- Children learn far more from what they see than what they’re told, especially around work ethic and how adults handle suffering.
- Service to other addicts, such as driving people from treatment to meetings, is presented as a core way to stay sober long-term.
- Fentanyl and isolated using greatly increase overdose risk, highlighting the importance of not using alone and having naloxone available.
- Forgiveness, personal responsibility and caring about others’ welfare are framed as essential if individuals – and the wider country – are to heal.
“Forgiveness is so good for us. And until we're willing to see it as not weak and as in strength, and that it's to open your arms and to open your heart and to be able to hear others and see them as human is such a big deal.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? Episode 334 of Bob Forrest’s Don’t Die Podcast throws you right into a fast, funny and brutally honest chat that swings from politics to parenting to fentanyl, with sobriety and service at the core. Bob and Chuck, self-described "resident sober dads", swap stories about being an old-school, hands-off parent versus trying to be your kid’s best mate and permanent flatmate.
They joke about “lovey-dovey, huggy, poopy, caca-pee-pee” parenting and ask whether high self-esteem but “low functionability” is what modern families are accidentally creating. There’s a sharp but caring angle here for anyone raising kids while staying sober. The conversation shifts into brain development, adolescent rebellion and the power of modelling behaviour. Bob recalls his hungover-but-working dad and links that relentless work ethic to his own years using heroin while still turning up for film sets.
Sobriety-wise, the heart of the episode is service. Bob shares the moment his sponsor told him to drive guys from treatment to meetings and dinner, saying, “Maybe then you won't have to go to those retreats anymore and maybe, just maybe, you’ll stay sober.” He’s been doing it ever since and credits that focus on helping others as his anchor. They also tackle the fentanyl crisis, overdoses, and the difference between simply surviving and actually being clean.
Politics and war come in hot too, with Bob lamenting a culture of payback and meanness and insisting, “Forgiveness is so good for us,” arguing that without it, the US won’t heal. Along the way, there are shout-outs to Jelly Roll, Jack Osbourne and a deeply respectful nod to Jennifer Hudson’s resilience.
If you’re sober, sober-curious, or parenting while trying to stay off the booze, this mix of humour, honesty and tough questions might give you something to chew on: where does service, forgiveness and real change fit into your recovery?
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