2012 brings with it my twelfth year of giving up booze for Lent. This horrendous forty-six day period gets harder and harder every year. Even more so in countries like Korea and Japan where so much of the socializing is done round a soju or sake bottle. Add singledom to the equation and you can imagine what a battle it is to avoid alcohol and alcohol-events for almost seven weeks.
Although my Catholic upbringing was the origin of this regular pre-Easter abstinence, I still continued this practice in my now Atheist life. There are four reasons I do this.
1. It's good for my body, especially my liver and beer belly. Oh wait, I guess strictly speaking, it's bad for my beer belly, right? Anyway, it's good for my liver!
2. It's damn tough. I find it really difficult. And therefore, it must be good for my willpower and mental strength and, uh, making a man of me.
3. To ensure I'm not becoming an alcoholic. I read somewhere that being born Irish is being born into alcoholism. Although my country ranked only 15th in recent world alcoholism statistics, I do tend to drink everyday at times and to often drink alone at home. My drinking is usually in moderation and never when I have to work. But surviving Lent each year reassures me that I don't have a drinking problem.
4. Appreciation of alcohol - before, during and after Lent i have a profound appreciation of booze. Beer tastes great, whisky warms my heart and Korean makoli brings me pure joy and satisfaction. I'm not exaggerating. Knowing I won't or didn't have it for a while makes me thankful when I can. As they say - absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or is it Absinthe?
The irony of Lent is that for the weeks preceding and following it, I drink like a fish. I drink everyday. If I don't drink, I feel I'm missing out on limited opportunities. I justify this over-consumption with excuses such as "I better stock up", or "I deserve this for what I'm about to do". So this year, as afternoon drinking becomes more common, I question whether the physical "benefits" of Lent actually exist. Is Lent actually good for me? Or do the pre and post-consumption nullify the benefits of the dry period?
Or perhaps this new questioning of my annual routine is my inner alcoholic trying to find a way out of doing Lent.
Although my Catholic upbringing was the origin of this regular pre-Easter abstinence, I still continued this practice in my now Atheist life. There are four reasons I do this.
1. It's good for my body, especially my liver and beer belly. Oh wait, I guess strictly speaking, it's bad for my beer belly, right? Anyway, it's good for my liver!
2. It's damn tough. I find it really difficult. And therefore, it must be good for my willpower and mental strength and, uh, making a man of me.
3. To ensure I'm not becoming an alcoholic. I read somewhere that being born Irish is being born into alcoholism. Although my country ranked only 15th in recent world alcoholism statistics, I do tend to drink everyday at times and to often drink alone at home. My drinking is usually in moderation and never when I have to work. But surviving Lent each year reassures me that I don't have a drinking problem.
4. Appreciation of alcohol - before, during and after Lent i have a profound appreciation of booze. Beer tastes great, whisky warms my heart and Korean makoli brings me pure joy and satisfaction. I'm not exaggerating. Knowing I won't or didn't have it for a while makes me thankful when I can. As they say - absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or is it Absinthe?
The irony of Lent is that for the weeks preceding and following it, I drink like a fish. I drink everyday. If I don't drink, I feel I'm missing out on limited opportunities. I justify this over-consumption with excuses such as "I better stock up", or "I deserve this for what I'm about to do". So this year, as afternoon drinking becomes more common, I question whether the physical "benefits" of Lent actually exist. Is Lent actually good for me? Or do the pre and post-consumption nullify the benefits of the dry period?
Or perhaps this new questioning of my annual routine is my inner alcoholic trying to find a way out of doing Lent.
1 comment:
Well, at least this year you have a buddy to keep on track. almost three weeks in bro, and still feeling good. Went to have pizza with Dave and family last night. Sitting, watching him drink beer was a bit painful. Really wanted to slug one down. Didn't want to let you down though sunsangnim.
Post a Comment