the authentic origin of the word teetotal

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. Choosing recovery close to home means your support system is just a few miles away. Ranking #38,922, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn’t essential for general communication. This section includes scientific research in the field of healthcare, often involving traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Holistic health. It includes papers from scientific journals classified as either original, clinical or experimental research, review articles or case reports.

Reasons Someone Might Choose Teetotalism or Abstinence

In other words, temperance began as a movement calling for abstinence from hard liquors like whiskey, rum, gin, etc. Wine, beer, and cider were often accepted and even recommended as a good substitute for hard spirits. Turner spoke of “signing the pledge.” Stories are also told that Temperance Societies would have people sign moderation pledges or total pledges. Those taking the total pledge would place a “T” teetotalism meaning after their name so that they became known as T-totalers, and later, teetotalers.

Significance of Teetotalism

This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Opinions changed, and one reason for this was that it became known that non-spirituous liquors did indeed contain alcohol, only at a lesser volume. You could get drunk on any of it, and so you have to abstain from all of it. There are several common origin stories, which I will report here along with some speculation as to the credibility to each one. I make no claims to knowing the exact origin of the word, and one or more of these stories may have some truth in them.

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Recovery might involve therapy, emotional support, and sometimes medications to manage withdrawal symptoms and cravings. According to Jewell, “By constantly explaining the T was for Total, we were directly called the T-totalers, and this was the origin of the word five years before it was coined in England.” CTC does concede that the term may have been popularized in England, though. We’re here 24/7 to help you get the care you need to live life on your terms, without drugs or alcohol. Talk to our recovery specialists today and learn about our integrated treatment programs. Although “to teetotal” (t total, t-total) simply means “to never drink,” it meant something more specific when it first came to be used.

• This section includes scientific research in the field of healthcare, often involving traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Holistic health.
• In Dublin, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart (Pioneers) was founded in 1898 by another priest, James Cullen.
• If such a term had been coined by one man during one speech, then we could not expect to see it appearing much in print in the years directly following its coinage.
• From there, the term came to be used more generally, for anyone who voluntarily committed to abstinence, or simply for a nondrinker.
• Through our integrated treatment programs, we’ve helped thousands of people choose recovery over addiction and get back to life on their own terms.
• These movements promoted reduced alcohol consumption or complete abstinence.
• In history, women becoming teetotallers was often an expression of religious values, or was based on general social reform principles.

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The term was in use as early as 1836 when an explanation of it as meaning “total abstainer” appeared in print.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio, developed as a fellowship group for alcoholics seeking recovery through total abstinence. The basis of AA was the Twelve Steps program, which outlines the group’s principles and methods for recovery. 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.

Teetotalers in the 19th century who belonged to temperance societies typically signed a pledge promising to abstain from alcohol. Some societies also issued a pledge card that featured the member’s name, the date of the pledge, and other details, such as the name and logo of the temperance society or illustrations depicting the miseries of drinking compared with the happiness of sobriety. In the 19th century, the Preston Temperance Society in England and, later, the American Temperance Union encouraged a pledge of abstinence from intoxicating liquor, as part of the temperance movement. Those who had signed the pledge were asked to use a T with their signature to mean “total abstinence.” The T plus the “total” led to those who’d signed the pledge being called T-totallers or teetotallers. But that still doesn’t mean that the term was not used in England and that it was not already a known word. People often invent origin tales of this sort when somewhat archaic words are used, and then a similarity is noticed, such as the “T” meaning total and total abstinence pledgers being known as teetotalers.

Where Does the Word ‘Teetotaler’ Come From? And More Questions From Our Readers

• Some societies also issued a pledge card that featured the member’s name, the date of the pledge, and other details, such as the name and logo of the temperance society or illustrations depicting the miseries of drinking compared with the happiness of sobriety.
• Turner spoke of “signing the pledge.” Stories are also told that Temperance Societies would have people sign moderation pledges or total pledges.
• Talk to our recovery specialists today and learn about our integrated treatment programs.
• This is a list of notable figures who practiced teetotalism and were public advocates for temperance, teetotalism, or both.
• Teetotalism, the practice or promotion of total abstinence from alcoholic drinks.
• Some common reasons for choosing teetotalism are psychological, religious, health,14 medical, philosophical, social, political, past alcoholism, or simply preference.

From the early days of the mass temperance movement, total abstinence from alcohol was promoted by some advocates, such as Presbyterian clergyman Lyman Beecher, who published Six Sermons on the Nature, Occasions, Signs, Evils, and Remedy of Intemperance in 1827. By 1836, when the American national temperance convention formally endorsed total abstinence, many temperance societies had switched from promoting moderation to advocating for abstinence. By this time, membership in temperance societies had reached about 1.5 million in the United States.

The practice gained traction in a cultural climate that increasingly recognized the detrimental effects of alcohol on health and social behavior. Teetotalism often became intertwined with various social and political movements, advocating for broader reforms in drinking culture and public health. Over the years, it has evolved from being primarily a moral stance to more of a personal choice intertwined with wellness and lifestyle decisions. People believe the term “teetotal” originated in the 19th-century temperance movements in the UK and the US.

If you or a loved one face substance misuse challenges, Landmark Recovery can guide you towards recovery. “We agree to abstain from all liquors of an intoxicating quality whether ale, porter, wine or ardent spirits, except as medicine.” In Dublin, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart (Pioneers) was founded in 1898 by another priest, James Cullen. However, Dr. F. R. Lees says that Turner did not coin the term, but only applied it. Lees is a source of the “archaic usage” claim and says that Turner was using a term that had been in use in Ireland and Lancashire for a hundred years, and which could be found in the literature of England long before Turner used it.

Some common reasons for choosing teetotalism are psychological, religious, health,14 medical, philosophical, social, political, past alcoholism, or simply preference. Total abstinence from all intoxicating drinks, is a principle of English manufacture. We sent over the old ardent spirit pledge; but after all, it did not touch the English beer, and good old brown stout, wine, nor the delicate cordials for the ladies. All these were untouched, and the graves of the drunkards were filling up as fast as ever; and those they had drawn a little away from the gin palaces, they soon found were drunkards still—for such found they could keep the old pledge, and go to bed drunk every night. So they adopted what they called the ‘te-total’ pledge—(though I don’t like the name.) They sent that back again to us; and it was really gratifying to them to find that there was a Total Abstinence Society in America. According to a publication by the Centennial Temperance Conference (CTC) of Philadelphia in 1885, “One Hundred Years of Temperance,” though, there was an American society that used a total abstinence pledge as early as 1826 and used the word “Teetotal” as early as 1827.

The word Teetotal (like Whig and Tory) has now become part of the English language, and is a familiar term all over the world. Instead, it seems more likely that it was an old term of a type known as a “republicate.” Republication means to repeat sounds in a word, or similar sounds, often as a means to emphasize them. Turner may have used the word teetotal often, helping it to become more widespread, or it may have already been in use by the temperance movement, and Turner helped to cement it. Teetotalism isn’t just a lifestyle choice; it can be a vital part of one’s recovery journey. Understanding this term helps individuals make informed decisions about their relationship with alcohol. Teetotalism means abstaining from alcohol, while recovery refers to the broader journey of overcoming substance misuse, which can include alcohol.