Everything about Teetotaler totally explained
Teetotalism (or T-total) is the practice and promotion of complete
abstinence from
alcoholic beverages. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a
teetotaler or
teetotaller (plural
teetotalers or
teetotallers). Such people are said to be
on the wagon unless they've never consumed alcoholic beverages (someone who is 'on the wagon' has usually needed to stop drinking, hence 'falling off the wagon').
People generally choose teetotalism for
religious,
health,
family,
philosophical and/or
social reasons. When at
drinking establishments, they either abstain from drinking or consume non-alcoholic beverages such as water, juice, and
soft drinks.
Contemporary and
colloquial usage has somewhat expanded teetotalism to include strict abstinence from most "recreational" intoxicants (legal and illegal, see
controlled substances). Most teetotaller organizations also demand from their members that they don't promote or produce non-alcoholic intoxicants.
Etymology
One anecdote attributes the origin of the word to a meeting of the
Preston Temperance Society in 1832 or 1833. This society was founded by
Joseph Livesey, who was to become a leader of the
temperance movement and the author of
The Pledge: "We agree to abstain from all liquors of an
intoxicating quality whether
ale,
porter,
wine or ardent spirits, except as
medicine." The story attributes the word to Dicky Turner, a member of the society, who had a stammer, and in a speech said that nothing would do but "tee-tee-total abstinence".
A more likely explanation is that
teetotal is simply a
repetition of the 'T' in
total (T-total). It is said that as early as 1827 in some Temperance Societies signing a 'T' after one's name signified one's pledge for total abstinence. In
England in the 1830s, when the word first entered the lexicon, it was also used in other contexts as an emphasized form of
total; in this context, the word is still used, but predominantly in the southern United States. The word could also be confused as a fusion of the words
tea, a common non-alcoholic beverage, and
total, albeit with the spelling changed slightly (Tea-total) — but this isn't widely believed.
Other uses
- In Nova Scotia it's commonly spelled "tea-totaller" and refers to a love for tea over coffee, alcohol, or other strong beverages and bears no stigma among drinkers.
- In India, teetotalism was often the expected norm in upper caste, middle class society, and was the expected norm for women of all strata.
- Another definition of a teetotaler is one who abstains from alcohol and intoxicating drugs of any kind, including narcotics.
Synonyms
Nephalism,
temperance,
abstinence and
restraint are synonyms for teetotalism.
Abstinence and
restraint have other, sometimes sexual connotations.
Numerous idioms and slang terms imply abstinence from alcohol. Common American terms includes "on the wagon," which frequently means those who have had a problem with alcohol, as well as the terms "dry" and "sober." "
Straight-edge" is one of the newer idioms for abstaining from alcohol and other intoxicants.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Teetotaler'.
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