Fasting from Alcohol: A Sacred View of "one Day at a Time"

Today, I became aware of an enlightened way of looking at the word fasting. One that brings a deeper, more spiritual dimension to the familiar AA phrase, “one day at a time.”

In recovery, we learn that we only need to stay sober today—not forever, not even for this week. Just for today. This daily commitment to not drink becomes our path to freedom. But what if we saw that daily abstention as something more than resistance? What if we understood it as a fast?

Fasting as a Spiritual Offering

Fasting is often thought of in terms of food—voluntarily going without it to focus the mind, purify the soul, or draw closer to God. But at its core, fasting is the act of deliberately giving something up for a higher purpose.

Gandhi understood this. His fasts were not mere political tactics; they were moral declarations. He used his own body as a vessel of protest, saying to the world, “I am willing to suffer for this truth. Will you continue to cause suffering?” His fasts changed public sentiment. They reminded both allies and enemies that transformation comes through sacrifice, not force.

Alcohol and the Daily Fast

If we borrow Gandhi’s lens and apply it to the spiritual journey of recovery, we might say: I am fasting from alcohol today. Not as punishment, but as offering. Each day I abstain—not merely to avoid pain, but to make space for something greater: humility, connection, peace, clarity.

In that way, “one day at a time” becomes more than a coping mechanism. It becomes a sacred rhythm. A daily fast that opens the soul.

A Fast That Frees

The scriptures reinforce this idea. In Isaiah 58:6, God redefines fasting:

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free?”

This fast isn't just about self-denial. It's about liberation.

And in the Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma testifies:

“Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true...” (Alma 5:46)

Fasting was a path to truth and personal revelation. Not just going without—but going within.

The Invitation

So perhaps we, too, are invited—not merely to resist alcohol—but to fast from it. To treat each sober day as a sacred pause. A deliberate act of spiritual strength and renewal.

Each day we fast from the bottle, we open our hearts to a greater fullness: the love of God, the support of community, and the growing knowledge that healing is possible.

Not forever. Just for today.

And tomorrow? We’ll fast again.