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

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.

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.

Word History and Origins

Another quite silly, origin claim is that the “tee” started as “tea” and referred to drinking tea (or other beverages) instead of alcohol. More likely, teetotal was simply a misspelling of teetotal, which caused people to believe that it had something to do with tea. The fact Turner mentions signing the “teetotal pledge” rather than the “total pledge” suggests that it was a more or less accepted way of describing the pledge, and using the word may not support the idea that he had coined the word by an accidental stutter. So, a teetotaler wasn’t someone who “doesn’t drink” as much as it is someone who “doesn’t drink distilled spirits, or wine, or beer, or anything else.” You could still “practice temperance without being a teetotaler.

More Words with Remarkable Origins

These movements promoted reduced alcohol consumption or complete abstinence. Richard Turner, a British advocate of the temperance movement, reportedly coined the word. The “tee” in “teetotal” emphasizes “total,” meaning absolute abstinence instead of moderate drinking. Teetotalism is the practice of abstaining from alcohol consumption entirely. Individuals who embrace teetotalism may choose this lifestyle for various reasons, including religious beliefs, health concerns, or personal preferences. It promotes the idea of living a life without alcohol, which can lead to a range of social, health, and psychological benefits.

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.

It was also estimated that about a quarter of a million individuals were practicing total abstinence. The two classes of signers were distinguished as those who took the “old pledge,” and had “O.P.” placed before their names, and those who took the “new” or “total pledge” (“T.”); the frequent explanation given of these letters made “T.―total” familiar. (b) Richard Turner, an artisan of Preston, in Lancashire, England, is said, in advocating the principle of temperance, about 1833, to have maintained that “nothing but te-te-total will do”; while a variation of this account makes the artisan a stutterer. Both accounts appear to be correct, and the word may have originated independently in the two countries. Once upon a time, in 1833, a man named Richard Turner stood up in a meeting of the Preston Temperance Society in Lancashire, England. The society was dedicated to promoting a life of sobriety, but Turner believed they didn’t go far enough.

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Teetotalers often advocate for responsible drinking and may support initiatives to reduce alcohol-related harm in society. Teetotalism is defined as the practice or advocacy of complete abstinence from alcohol and its related products. This approach is rooted in the belief that avoiding alcohol leads to better health and well-being. 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. People call someone who practices teetotalism a “teetotaler.” Unlike casual or moderate drinkers, teetotalers decide to avoid alcohol for health, religious, or personal reasons.

Word Frequency Rank

It was encouraged among the working class, whereas moderation was more readily accepted among the upper classes, who could afford wine. In other words, someone, or more than one person, may have referred to them as teetotalers, using a known word, and only later was it supposed that this came about because of the “T” written on the pledge rolls. Whether this is true, or whether the word came about independently at around the same time in Both England and U.S., the evidence cannot show. Instead, the word “teetotal” or “tee-total” appears in a great many publications from 1830 onward. Indeed, as early as 1830, and probably before, temperance societies were known as “teetotal societies.” What’s more, the word appears in American printed publications almost as often as British publications and also appears in Irish ones. Whether it was an old term by the time Turner used it, we can say that it is almost beyond doubt that he did NOT invent it.

• Over the years, it has evolved from being primarily a moral stance to more of a personal choice intertwined with wellness and lifestyle decisions.
• We’re here 24/7 to help you get the care you need to live life on your terms, without drugs or alcohol.
• Teetotalism is defined as the practice or advocacy of complete abstinence from alcohol and its related products.
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio, developed as a fellowship group for alcoholics seeking recovery through total abstinence.
• This approach is rooted in the belief that avoiding alcohol leads to better health and well-being.
• 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 is sometimes claimed that he put the “tee” at the beginning for the general reason described above, as emphasis.

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.

• Some make this decision based on religious beliefs that forbid intoxicating substances.
• Many do choose to remain abstinent of alcohol, however, in order to prevent a relapse or problem behavior.
• 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.
• It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn’t essential for general communication.
• The “tee” in “teetotal” emphasizes “total,” meaning absolute abstinence instead of moderate drinking.
• Although the temperance movement died out in the United States in the early 20th century with the failure of Prohibition, alcohol abstinence was the foundation for a new movement focused on recovery from addiction.
• It includes papers from scientific journals classified as either original, clinical or experimental research, review articles or case reports.

Not drinking alcohol can improve teetotalism meaning liver function, reduce blood pressure, and decrease the risk of alcohol-related diseases. In history, women becoming teetotallers was often an expression of religious values, or was based on general social reform principles. In the modern world, some women become teetotallers for such reasons, and others because of a past history of alcoholism or alcohol abuse. Assembly of God, Baha’i, Christian Science, Islam, Jainism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS. also known as the Mormon Church), Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Church of Christ, Sikhism, Salvation Army.