Fasting alcohol: the 5 months in report

In January i shared a piece about my decision to stay away from alcohol in 2017.

This week i was reminded about it when my friend Megan posted something on Facebook about her having stopped drinking for six months, whereas i have just hit five. Hers was less specific i think and generally she has been adopting a more healthy lifestyle.

THE STORY SO FAR

For the most part it’s been pretty easy. i don’t crave alcohol at all. When i look at the bottle of Amarula Gold my wife tbV bought me for my birthday [after i started my alcohol fast – yup, she’s more of a bigger picture gift giver!] there is a sense of anticipation for year end. i am not a huge Amarula fan and yet my friend Mahlatse [it’s embarrassing to type out the words man crush] introduced me to the gold version and i was instantly a fan. So there is that.

The other time it’s been slightly hard is at functions like dinner parties when everyone is drinking wine together and there’s a bit of an outsider element, but that’s not super huge. i don’t really drink beer at all – wine is okay – but i’m more of a spirits guy in terms of enjoyment but usually on special occasions… so it was a pretty easy fast to slide into.

And lastly there is the communion element. At St Johns where i hang out they do communion every week which i absolutely love [i need that frequent an opportunity to stop and consider the ways i have messed up and am in need of forgiveness and starting over] and they use wine and so when i go to the front there is the slight awkwardness of rebutting the wine bringer in favour of the juice holder who stands in the back for children and people like me. So small annoyance and i really am not a fan of the sweetness of the grape juice, but i’m guessing taste is not one of the big factors that is meant to go into communion.

And then there is Nachtmusiek. Chocolate liqueur. My absolute favourite. Although to be honest my bottle was running pretty low anyways so hoping someone will gift me with a new one of those at year end. MMmm chocolate liqueuery goodness!

OTHER FASTING

The only time i tend to hear about fasting is Lent, the forty day period before Easter. Usually because people start posting things on social media about what they will give up.

While i love the idea of the discipline of Lent i don’t think i have ever done it myself. Typically because ever year i wake up on day one or two or three as people start posting Lent posts and realise i’ve woken up too late again.

And it’s been quite interesting for me to see the process of what people give up for Lent. i remember this year commenting on someone’s wall who was trying to decide between two things and wrestling with which would be easiest to give up. Hmm, i’m not quite sure that is the point. i think the idea behind fasting is to give up something you will miss, so as to help you focus on prayer at those times you miss it. So people who give up stuff for Lent that doesn’t cost them anything feels like just a religious exercise with no inherent value.

MY 2018 FAST CHALLENGE 

The other day i posted about this on social media and it got quite a lot of response which is why i decided to document it here so i can pull it out again as a reminder at the end of the year.

Hanging out in Durban recently we got to spend time with my friend Leah who is a South African living in Australia and she shared her fasting experiences with me. For the last three years i think it was, she has given up one thing for the year, and typically gone for an eating thing that she didn’t have much control over.

i thought that would be a good idea for 2018 both from a discipline and from an eating better point of view. And at this point i am thinking chips. As in crisps. As in these guys:

Wait, WHAT????? Marmite crisps is a thing? That just sounds wrong on SO MANY levels and i eat mayonnaise on toast. And tomato sauce and sugar on french toast #DontMockItTilYouveTriedIt

So i’m thinking for me it is likely to be crisps – cutting them out of my diet completely for 2018. That doesn’t sound right – i don’t think crisps form part of any diet, but you know what i mean.

And so i am inviting you to join me [and if you want to be hardcore about it, leave your email address in the comments section so i can remind you end of year] in seven months time to give up one thing in 2018 to improve your life, give you an opportunity to test/work on your discipline and for the enjoyment of doing that in community. Who is in? If you’re not super brave then just leave your name and what you’re considering giving up…

THE BEST KIND OF FASTING

As a follower of Jesus though i am strongly drawn to the kind of fasting spoken about in the bible. And while there are different explanations and descriptions of fasting in the bible, i am specifically talking about the kind that talks of action for the poor and marginalised as found in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

³ ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.

⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.

⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶ “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?

⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousnesswill go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.

¹¹ The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.

¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.