That is the question on everyone's sorta-non-Christian-but-likes-to-believe-in-the public-events-like-Christmas-and-Easter minds. To give up something or to keep on indulging...It's a reallly hard decision.
See the first thing I always think of giving up is alcohol. Having no real other vices with the exception of reading and internet browsing (both can't really be classed as negative) my only other vice is alcohol. So do I give it up?
Alcohol (at least in Britain) seems to be a sort of coming-of-age experience that most teens explore in their early - mid teens despite the age limit being 18. You'll find pint sized 'adults' guzzling down 3 litres of 'Frosty Jacks' on the street corner (or morbidly in a graveyard) or some equally terrible cider, they may even splash out on a small bottle of knock off terrible vodka that gives them the s**ts the next day.
Then you reach post-16 and realise that the opposite sex isn't mean and just there for hand-holding and you want to jump on that band wagon (quite literally). So you end up turning to alcohol - the great inhibition loser which will get you talking to any man, woman and stranger that comes into your eye range. And before long you've miraculously pulled an amazing tall dark and handsome man only for you to take a look at Facebook the next day and you've got a pending request from a 45 year old married with kids graying old man...it happens to us all.
Then come the 20s - the great age of reflection and contemplation, and just general thinking of 'who am I?!'. And you start using alcohol as a relaxant. Looking forward to Friday's for an excuse to unwind with an afternoon pub session after a troublesome week of work (or searching for work) and an equally valid excuse then to hit the takeaway despite having ate dinner already. And, if you're me, you may decide to drink a cheeky can during the afternoon while trying to relive your student ages (while hanging with students - this is incredibly sad I admit).
You've realised then for the last 10 or so years you've actually been drinking alcohol despite the reasons maturing from 'looking cool and grown up' (it by no means is) to relaxing and having a good time. And then you realise that what I've described there are just endless excuses to hit the bottle - not good.
So when it comes to this time of the year it's obvious why you'd immediately think 'give up the drink' especially when you remember that the glamorous unwinding leads to a massive and not so fetching hangover the following day. But then you think can I? If I can't give up the tipple for a month and a bit does this mean I'm addicted O_o...and you enter this whole loop of thinking maybe Lent is just the way you find out what you can't give up.
On the other hand, why should you give it up for a month and a bit. It might have some benefits such as saving money, losing weight, but why put yourself through the effort of it? You need to be highly motivated and dedicated to doing it and we all know how that works out with New Years Resolutions so what makes Lent any different unless you are of course bound to it by religion? In fact, if you're seriously considering giving it up for a month why shouldn't you then give it up for the rest of your life?
Lent becomes trying to give up an addiction. And that's not so Christian.
So maybe we shouldn't think about what we should give up, whether it's good or bad for you, and maybe decide to DO something instead.
Why don't we donate a couple of pounds to charity, do a good deed for the day, volunteer and start exercising? That way we're not casting a glum look on things and say 'yes, I obviously have a problem with [Enter vice here] so I'm going to give that up' trying to give up and then failing, but actually doing something positive and worthwhile by doing something that makes us feel good (and not just for ourselves either).
Think about it.
Though I might attempt to give up alcohol just to see if I can...(yes this takes me back to the giving up and addiction question...)
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