In case you were wondering how it is to give up alcohol for Lent, here are some things I’ve noticed:

– It simplifies my life.  I don’t have to worry about opening a bottle or not, and what to do with it in a one-person ménage once open.  I don’t have to worry about wine selection for dinners or about which bottle to buy in the store.

– It’s surprisingly easy.  I don’t experience cravings or nearly slip up.  The only time I consumed alcohol was in a chocolate praline by accident.

– Other things would be way harder to give up, but maybe it’s like exercise: I need to build up the muscles of self-discipline.  If I can’t manage the Taipei Sheraton buffet, I’ve still got a long way to go.  So next year: buying books and CDs?  Myspace?  E-mail?

– I realize that it’d be harder to give up e-mail than to give up going to church, at least in my Gedankenexperiment.  What does that say about priorities?

– Nobody really needs alcohol, but I’m looking forward to Easter.  Maybe fewer but better bottles should be my next step?