habit of leaving a lot of paperwork unfinished, shortly before he quit teaching Vainio organized an excursion for the pupils to express his gratitude for the time he had spent with them. Alcohol use As time went by, Vainio consumed more and more alcohol. In the late 1960s he frequented Tapion Tuoppi with Gunnar Mattsson and Aarre Elo. He often carried a hip flask in case he ran out of something to drink. Vainio's deteriorating family relationships are considered to be one reason for his drinking. Many of his friends were heavy drinkers as well but despite his drinking problem, he always managed to finish his lyrics on time. Vainio's friends Heikki Kauppinen and Reijo Tani quit drinking in 1972, and at first Vainio found their decision odd. When Vexi Salmi was hired by Fazer in 1970, Vainio and Salmi started drinking together often and sometimes even came to work with hangovers. On one occasion, Vainio forgot that he was supposed to have finished the text of an advertising tune. When the deadline arrived, Vainio was too hung over to finish the lyrics and eventually Salmi agreed to help by writing the lyrics for Vainio's composition. Vainio's alcohol use increased in the 1970s, and his parents watched without being able to do anything about it. It is reported that Vainio would not go to sleep at night unless he had liquor under his bed, and he always kept a bottle with him. Vainio began to realize that he could not live like this forever. By summer 1975 he decided that he needed to stop drinking altogether. He was especially helped in this decision through his meeting footballer Kai Pahlman, who told Vainio that he was surprised he was still alive. In late 1975, Vainio stayed sober for four months, but then caved in for a short time. In January 1976 he finally managed to quit drinking for good. Vainio was supported by his friends who had quit drinking a few years earlier, such as Osmo "Osku" Kanerva. Eino Grön, a friend of Vainio's, decided to follow his example and managed to quit a year and a half after Vainio. Vainio never wanted to be called a teetotaler and considered himself a recovered alcoholic. After he quit drinking, Vainio's songs became more serious and more sensitive, although he still wrote humorous lyrics as well. Although Vainio himself did not consume alcohol,