Recently, I was finally able to stop in front of the liquor shelves at a convenience store and look at the displays.

The days of closing my eyes and walking fast past are finally coming to an end.

Come to think of it, the period of time I kept wanting cigarettes after quitting smoking was about three weeks, and the period of time I kept wanting alcohol after sobriety was three years.

There is a big difference in the "duration".

As I recall, I had been smoking for 9 months, but drinking for over 30 years.

The longer you take it, the longer you may find it hard to give it up.

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The reason for my sobriety was to "win the right to order my second daughter to study English, which she hates.

As an engineer who is not loved by English, I thought that if I was going to tell other people to "study English," I would have to give myself an appropriate load.

Well, that's how my sobriety started -- the first thing that appeared was that my shoulders were no longer stiff.

The "weight loss" was noticeable.

And, crucially, the "dramatic improvement in insomnia" -- "the days when I could fall asleep without alcohol" were, for me, fully interchangeable with "the right to drink alcohol freely".

Another very important point is that I can now concentrate on my work and column writing for a longer period of time, even if I have to sleep less.

Well, as for sleep, I am still on a tripod with Sercin (stabilizer), but the use of Sercin is decreasing considerably.

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In the past, I would have gone crazy if I tried to read a manga about drinking, such as "Wakako Sake".

Now I am able to read calmly.

In the future, I expect to read content like "Wakako Sake" for those who have quit drinking, or for those who are sober.

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By the way, what I am doing now is not "quit drinking" but "stop drinking".

It's not that I think I'll never drink alcohol forever.

For example, I decide that the day I was diagnosed as terminally ill would be the day I would lift my sobriety.

However, I am worried about whether I will be able to enjoy drinking alcohol at that time.

Just the other day, my face turned bright red after licking a little plum wine.

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But what makes me uncomfortable is the way my second daughter talks to me.

"For the sake of your health and longevity, I must continue to be the 'second daughter unloved by English'. Oh, the pain.

No, the link between your (my second daughter's) English study and my sobriety has already been broken.

Before that, I think it would be impossible to "live the life of a science major without English" -- maybe it's possible now?