Is what was reported from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, true: that "whoever drinks alcohol, his prayer will not be accepted for forty mornings"?

Many authentic hadiths have been narrated concerning the punishment for one who drinks alcohol, among them the hadith: "Whoever drinks alcohol and gets intoxicated, his prayer will not be accepted for forty mornings, and if he dies, he will enter the Fire. If he repents, Allah will accept his repentance..." The meaning of "his prayer will not be accepted" is that he will not be rewarded for it, not that it is invalid or should be abandoned. Rather, it absolves him of his duty. He is still obligated to perform the prayers at their appointed times, for abandoning prayer is worse than drinking alcohol. This punishment is for those who do not repent. As for the one who repents, Allah accepts his repentance, and the one who repents from a sin is like one who has no sin.