Macbook pro wont start unless I restore from backup (only a temporary fix)

Hi,
I have a mid 2009 Macbook pro (2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8GB Ram, moutain lion) that randomly freezes when i try to log in after sleeping. When I log in, the pin wheel shows up and my computer doesn't go beyond log in. I manually turn off the computer and after turning my computer on it leads to a grey screen (apple sign and spinning wheel). At this point the computer stays at a grey screen without ever getting to the log in screen.
The only fix I found is to restore from my latest backup (in Recovery Mode) but this only solves the problem for about a month . After about a month I run into the same problem outlined above.
I need help identifying the underlying problem. Is it a hardware or software problem?
I ocassionally hear a clicking noise from what I assume is my harddrive (HHD). Disk Utility sometimes helps get beyond the log in screen but the computer quickly freezes after I get to the desktop.

MyKnee,
if you have access to a FireWire 800 cable and a second Mac with a FireWire 800 port, you can try booting your Mac into Target Disk mode to see if it can be treated as an external hard drive from the second Mac. If so, you can try copying your personal files to the second Mac.
Alternatively, if you have an external disk enclosure or a SATA-to-USB or SATA-to-FireWire adapter, you can try removing your internal disk to see if you can boot from it externally. If it’s repairable through Disk Utility externally but non-repairable internally, then that might point to your internal SATA cable as being faulty.
If you’re unwilling or unable to either fix your problem yourself, back up your own files, or have someone else do so for you, then yes, you’d be SOL. This is where the value is found in making backups — to avoid SOL scenarios like this.

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