Update (Mar. 4, 2014): The 2014 tally of top Lenten tweets has begun.
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. But if you haven't decided what to forego during the Lenten season, it's not too late.
To help, look at what 141,000 Twitter messages (so far) suggest people are giving up this year.
The trendiest thing to forego in 2013? "Being pope."
On a more serious note, if past years are any indication, it's likely that social media, chocolate, swearing, and alcohol will take top honors among the Top 100 most frequently sacrificed personal vices.
Ironically, the analysis came from Twitter's API, which Stephen Smith analyzes each year to provide a look at what people say they plan to give up for Lent. In 2012, the analysis looked at a series of 300,000 tweets. The complete list based on that analysis follows at the bottom of this post.
CT previously reported the Top 100 vices that Twitter users gave up in 2012 as well as in 2011. In addition, CT's Mark Galli offered his thoughts on "giving up self discipline" for Lent last year.
CT has regularly reported on Lent, including three views on why bother celebrating Lent, what neuroscience tells us about Lent, Lent in Narnia, and the argument for lengthening Lent.
The complete list of the top 100 most-mentioned Lenten sacrifices (both serious and cynical) in 2012 is as follows:
1. Twitter
2. Chocolate
3. Swearing
4. Alcohol
5. Soda
6. Facebook
7. Fast food
8. Sex
9. Sweets
10. Meat
11. Lent
12. School
13. Junk food
14. Chips
15. Coffee
16. Candy
17. Bread
18. You
19. Smoking
20. Giving up things
21. Homework
22. Food
23. Social networking
24. Religion
25. Marijuana
26. Beer
27. Work
28. Stuff
29. McDonald's
30. Virginity
31. Cookies
32. Masturbation
33. Ice cream
34. Shopping
35. Fried food
36. Boys
37. Sobriety
38. Coke
39. Catholicism
40. Cheese
41. Nothing
42. Carbs
43. Red meat
44. Procrastination
45. Desserts
46. Pizza
47. Pancakes
48. Sugar
49. Rice
50. Breathing
51. Me
52. Texting
53. Starbucks
54. Fizzy drinks
55. French fries
56. Diet Coke
57. Porn
58. Tumblr
59. Wine
60. Makeup
61. Liquor
62. Booze
63. College
64. My phone
65. Life
66. Caffeine
67. Laziness
68. Chipotle
69. Tea
70. Chicken
71. Cake
72. Sarcasm
73. New Year's resolutions
74. Takeout
75. Men
76. Pork
77. Christianity
78. Sleep
79. People
80. Caring
81. Juice
82. Snacking
83. Lying
84. TV
85. Complaining
86. Church
87. Him
88. Sweet tea
89. Lint
90. Vegetables
91. Talking
92. Bacon
93. Being mean
94. Pasta
95. Eating out
96. Negativity
97. Eating
98. Biting my nails
99. Nutella
100. Being nice
