 The imposed regimen of asylum life gave Van Gogh a hard @-@ won stability : " I feel happier here with my work than I could be outside . By staying here a good long time , I shall have learned regular habits and in the long run the result will be more order in my life . " While his time at Saint @-@ Rémy forced him to manage his vices , such as coffee , alcohol , poor eating habits and periodic attempts to consume turpentine and paint , his stay was not ideal . He needed to obtain permission to leave the asylum grounds . The food was poor ; he generally ate only bread and soup . His only apparent form of treatment were two @-@ hour baths twice a week . During his year there , Van Gogh had periodic attacks , possibly due to a form of epilepsy . By early 1890 , when the attacks worsened , he concluded that his stay at the asylum was not helping him to recover , which led him to move to Auvers @-@ sur @-@ Oise just north of Paris in May 1890 . 
