Only three weeks ago our house was filled with gloom. My father suffered with a bad case of osteooarthritis which he's had since who-knows-when. He's been going to the doctor every now and then and has been taking medicines regularly. His doctor clearly advised him to refrain from drinking alcohol, beer in particular. But whether it's because he'd spent thirty years of his life working for SMC and he still feels some "loyalty" to this day, or simply because he's too weak to resist the temptation, he just wouldn't heed the doctor's advice and would still sneak out to have a bottle or two. We were already thinking if he needs to undergo alcohol rehab .

It was the scenario until recently when he couldn't bear to walk on his own for almost a week because of the pain in his knee. And it seemed the medicines he's taking had no effect at all. Seeing the agony on his face, I thought he must have realized now that he really needed to stop drinking, else he would have to endure endless suffering. Last weekend, he went back to the doctor with the results of his xray. New medicines were given along with strong advice against alcohol. To our great relief, he followed the doctor's advice and has been well ever since.