Abstinence is the practice of self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as givingpleasure. Most frequently, the term refers tosexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence fromalcohol,drugs,food, or other comforts.[1]
Because the regimen is intended to be aconscious act, freely chosen to enhance life, abstinence is sometimes distinguished from the psychological mechanism ofrepression. The latter is anunconscious state, having unhealthy consequences.
Abstinence may arise from anascetic over indulgent, hasidic point of view in natural ways of procreation, present in most faiths, or from a subjective need for spiritual discipline. In its religious context, abstinence is meant to elevate the believer beyond the normal life of desire, to a chosen ideal, by following a path of renunciation.
In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, amongst others,pre-marital sex is prohibited.
ForJews, the principal day of fast isYom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
InWestern Christianity,Roman Catholics abstain from meat onAsh Wednesday and on Fridays exceptsolemnities. During the Christian season of repentance,Lent, many Lutheran Christians abstain from alcohol and meat on Fridays.[2] In theAnglican Communion, theBook of Common Prayer prescribes certain days as days for fasting and abstinence, "consisting of the 40 days of Lent, the ember days, the three rogation days (the Monday to Wednesday following the Sunday after Ascension Day), and all Fridays in the year (except Christmas Day, if it falls on a Friday)".[3] Catholics distinguish betweenfasting and abstinence; the former referring to the discipline of diminishing intake of bodily pleasures, and the latter signifying the discipline of completely restraining from bodily pleasures, most notably meats on Fridays (for example, there is the Traditional Catholic practice of fasting from food and liquids from midnight until the reception of Holy Communion).[4] SomeProtestants, especiallyMethodists andBaptists, abstain from drinking alcohol and the use of tobacco; additionally, all Fridays of the year are days of fasting and abstinence from meat in Methodist Christianity (except Christmas Day, if it falls on a Friday).[5][6] In Western Christianity, abstinence from meat on Fridays is done as a sacrifice because onGood Friday, Jesus sacrificed his flesh for humanity.[7]
In manyWestern Christian Churches, including those of the Catholic, Methodist and Baptist traditions, certain congregations have committed to undertaking theDaniel Fast during the whole season of Lent, in which believers practiceabstinence from meat, lacticina and alcohol for the entire forty days of the liturgical season.[8][9][10][11]
Orthodox Christians abstain from food and drink from midnight on the day they receive Holy Communion, and abstain from meat and dairy on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, as well as during Great Lent. During Great Lent, Orthodox Christians practicesexual abstinence.[12]
TheSeventh-day Adventist Church encourages the consumption of only clean meats as specified inLeviticus and forbids the consumption of alcohol, smoking, and the use ofnarcotics.[13]
Members ofThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints abstain from certain foods and drinks by combining spiritual discipline with health concerns. They also fast one day a month, for both spiritual and charitable reasons (the money saved by skipping meals is donated to the needy).
ForMuslims, the period of fasting lasts during the whole month ofRamadan, from dawn to dusk.
InIndia,Buddhists,Jains,Sikhs andHindus abstain from eating meat and fish (basically, all living animals) on the grounds both of health and of reverence for all sentient forms of life.[14][15] Total abstinence from feeding on the flesh of cows is a hallmark ofHinduism. In addition, lay and monastic Buddhists refrain from killing any living creature and from consuming intoxicants, andbhikkhus keep vows of celibacy. InTheravada Buddhism, bhikkhus also refrain from eating in the afternoon, and cannot accept money.Jains abstain from violence in any form, and will not consume living creatures or kill bugs or insects.Lord Ayappa devotees who visit the shrine, observe 41 days of fasting which includes abstinence.
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In medicine, abstinence is the discontinuation of a drug, often anaddictive one. This might, in addition to craving after the drug, be expressed aswithdrawal syndromes. In the Basic Text of Narcotics Anonymous, a large fellowship following the 12-steps outlined by AA, NA is outlined to be "a program of complete abstinence from all mood or mind-altering substances."[citation needed] This description includes alcohol and is widely known to include any kind of prescription narcotics, like pain-killers (opiates), anti-anxiety medicine (benzodiazepines) or diet pills (stimulants). The practice of abstinence is a learned behavior, and comes slowly over time - time spent listening and sharing in NA and AA meetings, behavioral health psychology group or individualized therapies, and hanging out with people in the recovery support community.
In the context of drug use, individuals may, at some point, decide to abstain from taking the drug following chronic use. Addicts engage in chronic drug use, followed by periods of abstinence, then in many cases relapse.[16] Addicts decide to abstain due to the negative consequences that are often associated with the drug. Depending on the individual, abstinence time may vary. In many cases, individuals relapse, and the cycle begins anew. There are several forms of abstinence that exist. Two common ones are forced and voluntary. Voluntary abstinence refers to an individual actively choosing to stop taking the drug. Forced abstinence occurs when an individual is removed from the drug environment. This makes them unable to have access to the drug. An example of forced abstinence is in-patient rehabilitation treatment, or incarceration.There are three main triggers of relapse: stress, drug re-exposure and drug associated cues.[16] An individual may relapse if they are presented with a stressful situation that compels them to re-administer the drug that they used to take. If the individual is in an environment where they are in contact with the drug, they may feel compelled to engage in drug-taking behaviour (for example, someone who is practicing sobriety that finds themselves in a bar and re-engages in drinking alcohol). Finally, drug associated cues can be the environment in which the person used to administer the drug, or the smell of a cigarette.[citation needed]
Individuals report that when engaging in abstinence, the longer they are not taking the drug, the more they crave it.[17]
Smoking cessation is the discontinuation of a smoked or vaporized substance, such astobacco or anything containingnicotine.
Teetotalism is the practice and promotion of complete abstinence fromalcoholic beverages.
Some common reasons for choosing teetotalism arereligious,health,family,philosophical orsocial reasons, and, sometimes, as simply a matter of taste preference. When atdrinking establishments, they either abstain from drinking or consume non-alcoholic beverages such as tea, coffee, water, juice, andsoft drinks.
Contemporary andcolloquial usage has somewhat expanded teetotalism to include strict abstinence from most "recreational"intoxicants (legal and illegal, seecontrolled substances). Most teetotaller organizations also demand from their members that they do not promote or produce alcoholic intoxicants.
This systematic review highlights the effectiveness of caffeine abstinence for improving sleep quality.[18]
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food,drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting. Fasting practices may preclude sexual activity as well as food, in addition to refraining from eating certain types or groups of foods; for example, one might refrain from eatingmeat.A complete fast in its traditional definition is abstinence of all food and liquids except for water.
Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes meat (includinggame, marine mammals and slaughter by-products),poultry, fowl,fish,shellfish and other sea creatures.[19][20]There are several variants of the diet, some of which also excludeeggs or products produced from animal labour such asdairy products andhoney.
A general abstinence from pleasures orleisure, either partial or full, may be motivated by ambition,career or general self-respect (excluding the point of view that even the latter examples may be regarded as sources of pleasure).
In the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, there is a list of "Days of Fasting, or Abstinence," consisting of the 40 days of Lent, the ember days, the three rogation days (the Monday to Wednesday following the Sunday after Ascension Day), and all Fridays in the year (except Christmas, if it falls on a Friday).
Days of Fasting or Abstinence All the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas-Day
Abstinence is one of our oldest Christian traditions. "From the first century, the day of the crucifixion has been traditionally observed as a day of abstaining from flesh meat ("black fast") to honor Christ who sacrificed his flesh on a Friday" (Klein, P., Catholic Source Book, 78). ... Since Jesus sacrificed his flesh for us on Good Friday, we refrain from eating flesh meat in his honor on Fridays.
In some cases, entire churches do the Daniel Fast together during Lent. The idea strikes a chord in Methodist traditions, which trace their heritage to John Wesley, a proponent of fasting. Leaders in the African Methodist Episcopal Church have urged churchgoers to do the Daniel Fast together, and congregations from Washington to Pennsylvania and Maryland have joined in. For the fourth consecutive year, St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., will observe Lent this year with a churchwide Daniel Fast. Young adults in the congregation tend to keep the fast more rigorously than older ones, according to Pastor Paul Milton.
Many parishioners at St. Philip Neri are participating in the Daniel fast, a religious diet program based on the fasting experiences of the Old Testament prophet Daniel. ... participating parishioners started the fast Ash Wednesday (Feb. 10) and will continue through Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
Our family and friends are encouraged to take this journey during the season of Lent. This is a time we as Christians mature spiritually the 40 days before Resurrection Sunday. The Daniel Fast begins Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021 and ends on Resurrection Sunday, April 4, 2021. Our common practice is 6 days on and 1 day off.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)a person who does not eat meat for moral, religious, or health reasons.
In this subset of abstinence-only education programs, young people vow chastity until marriage and wear a "purity ring" to demonstrate a commitment to sexual abstinence.
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