“Here’s to five miserable months on the wagon, and all the irreparable harm it’s caused me”
One sentence: so many layers.
1) The issue with time: the Torrance’s have been in the hotel for at least one month:A Closing Day takes place in October, there is the chapter ‘A Month Later’. Additional disconnects with time involve Jack’s version of sobriety and how long Danny’s been out of school/Tony been in their lives. This indicates the family has been isolated and dysfunctional well before going to The Overlook.
2) Connecting to Five Months of Peace Is Just What I Want: Both relating to time and the fact that this time has not been peaceful. No.31, No.45 both contain heated arguments causing Jack to seek refuge at a bar.
3) Sobriety as “Irreparable Harm”:
Jack blames his sobriety as the cause of the problems, rather than Jack himself and his inability to handle his problem without alcohol.