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define teetotalism

They recruited other people in their community, even non-alcoholics, and held regular meetings in which they shared their experiences with drinking and sobriety. Over time, the Washingtonians attracted as many as 600,000 members, with chapters throughout the United States. Notably, they welcomed many groups that other temperance societies excluded, including Roman Catholics and Black Americans.

Proponents of teetotalism often promote the social, physical, and mental benefits of not consuming alcoholic beverages, encouraging others to adopt a similar lifestyle for various reasons, including personal health, religious beliefs, and societal impacts. Teetotalism (sometimes tee-totalism) refers to either the practice of or the 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) or is simply said to be teetotal. Some common reasons for choosing teetotalism are religious, health, family, philosophical, fear of gastric/ epi-gastric and/or social reasons, and, sometimes, as simply a matter of taste preference. When at drinking establishments, they either abstain from drinking or consume non-alcoholic beverages such as tea, coffee, water, juice, and soft drinks.

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Members of temperance organizations sang songs, organized marches to shut down saloons or pass prohibition laws, circulated pamphlets about the cause, and gave speeches on the moral problems caused by drinking. Teetotalism was embraced by some religious groups and moral reformers as the answer to the problems of poverty, unemployment or work absenteeism, declining church attendance, crime, and domestic violence. It was encouraged among the working class, whereas moderation was more readily accepted among the upper classes, who could afford wine.

Why is Called “Teetotal”? (Meaning and Dry History Explained)

define teetotalism

While you’re at it, raise another glass in honor of Richard Turner, whose stutter led to the creation of a term that will forever define those who choose to abstain from the devil’s nectar. Many Christian groups, including Methodists and Quakers, have traditionally supported the temperance movement and prohibition. Richard Turner, a member of the Preston Temperance Society, received credit for using the slang word «teetotally.» He used it to describe abstinence from all existing alcoholic drinks.

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By this time, membership in temperance societies had reached define teetotalism about 1.5 million in the United States. It was also estimated that about a quarter of a million individuals were practicing total abstinence. When at drinking establishments, teetotallers tend to consume non-alcoholic beverages such as water, juice, tea, coffee, non-alcoholic soft drinks, virgin drinks, mocktails, and alcohol-free beer.

It’s a lifestyle choice that requires an iron will, a love for clear-headed mornings, and the ability to withstand endless mockery from friends who don’t understand the appeal of a party without a single drop of booze. The decision to abstain from alcohol provides benefits for the people who choose to do so. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the temperance movement gained recognition in numerous countries. Certain people stop drinking because they want to improve their physical and mental health. In Dublin, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart (Pioneers) was founded in 1898 by another priest, James Cullen. This section includes scientific research in the field of healthcare, often involving traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Holistic health.

  • Contemporary and colloquial usage has somewhat expanded teetotalism to include strict abstinence from most «recreational» intoxicants (legal and illegal).
  • A common American term is «on the (water) wagon», which frequently means those who have had a problem with alcohol, as well as the terms «dry» and «sober».
  • One of the five precepts of Buddhism is remaining free of intoxicating substances that disturb the peace and self-control of the mind.
  • Unlike temperance advocates, who promoted moderation in alcohol consumption or abstention solely from hard liquor (distilled spirits), people who practice teetotalism, known as teetotalers, abstain from all alcohol, including beer and wine.
  • A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller (plural teetotalers or teetotallers) or is simply said to be teetotal.
  • He argued that the only true path to a life of wild excitement was total abstinence from alcohol.
  • According to historian Daniel Walker Howe, the word came from Lyman Beecher, an American preacher and temperance advocate.

What does teetotaler mean?

A common American term is «on the (water) wagon», which frequently means those who have had a problem with alcohol, as well as the terms «dry» and «sober». «Straight edge» is a newer idiom for abstaining from alcohol and other intoxicants, although it is more common in connection with hardcore punk culture. «Temperance» was a more popular term in the 1800s and early 1900s when temperance unions throughout the US battled consumption of alcoholic beverages.

  • His wife acquired the nickname «Lemonade Lucy» because of her practice of serving guests non-alcoholic beverages while entertaining in the White House.
  • It became popular as part of the temperance movement in the early 19th century in Great Britain and North America.
  • A reinterpretation of temperance total may have contributed to its linguistic origin and development.
  • «Straight edge» is a newer idiom for abstaining from alcohol and other intoxicants, although it is more common in connection with hardcore punk culture.
  • It includes papers from scientific journals classified as either original, clinical or experimental research, review articles or case reports.

Teetotalers in the 19th century who belonged to temperance societies typically signed a pledge promising to abstain from alcohol. An alternate explanation is that teetotal is simply a reduplication of the ‘T’ in total (T-total). In this context, the word is still used, predominantly in the southern United States. If not, you might be faced with the decision about whether to join the list of teetotalers for your own benefit. Whether in a public setting, such as a restaurant or party, or spending an evening at home, teetotalers choose to refrain from drinking alcohol.

Teetotalism involves the commitment to abstain from alcohol and similar substances, often promoted for health, moral, or social reasons. A more likely explanation is that teetotal is simply a repetition of the ‘T’ in total. 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 — but this is widely considered to be incorrect. Whereas many temperance groups lobbied for prohibition, the Washington Temperance Society, whose members were known as the Washingtonians, emphasized individual reform over societal reform. The fellowship group for reformed alcoholics was founded in 1840 in Baltimore, Maryland, by six men seeking to help one another and others to maintain their sobriety.

Word History and Origins

At restaurants, teetotalers either abstain from drinking or only drink non-alcoholic beverages. It might include water, juice, coffee, tea, non-alcoholic soft drinks, mocktails, and non-alcoholic beer. By 1836, when the American national temperance convention formally endorsed total abstinence, many temperance societies had switched from promoting moderation to advocating for abstinence.

It includes papers from scientific journals classified as either original, clinical or experimental research, review articles or case reports. Some people choose to avoid alcohol because they depended on it in the past, and now they’re in recovery. It’s necessary for a recovering alcoholic to avoid alcohol, even if it means staying out of bars and pubs. The temperance movement still exists in many parts of the world but has less political influence than in the 19th and 20th centuries.

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