I read somewhere people who choose to go teetotal, some sign a T after their name/signature....or use to....something along those lines...does anyone know if this is true??? I kind of like the idea, I don't know why. Since quitting smoking I also quit drinking as you all know. I also live in a state where marijuana is legal and would partake time to time, but have found I also no longer enjoy this either. I know its a British term... But even so I like the term... Would it be silly me being an American to use it and to tell people I am teetotal????

First I have ever heard of this practice so, it would be lost on me if I saw a T after your name but, I could just be out of the loop on this?

Well..I'm British ..and have never heard of this either... But what do I know..it could be a new fashion statement..that the youngens have..

You could also put NS...for non smoker..so if I see TNS...after your name..I will be very impressed......

Who cares anyway what others think..not thier problem...

I never heard of it either but if you like it, go for it. On Seinfeld, if you remember, all it took was one person to start the trend of eating a Snicker's bar with a knife and fork. 

Edited November 3, 20178 yr by PeaceTrain

Teetotaler Meaning

Some people don't drink whiskey or other hard liquors but enjoy wine or the occasional beer. Others stick to the hard stuff, and others only like beer. None of these people are teetotalers. A teetotaler is someone who refuses to imbibe any and all alcohol containing liquids. Where did this curious word come from and how did it come to be applied to those who totally abstained from drinking?

Although "to teetotal" (t total, t-total) simply means "to never drink," it meant something more specific when it first came to be used. At the beginning of the temperance movement, most temperance societies didn't see anything wrong with wine, beer, or cider. In fact, they embraced them. It was distilled spirituous liquors which were seen as the real evil. The idea of temperance, then, was to abstain from hard liquors. This was seen as a moderate response to the problems of alcohol.

"T" After Your Name

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" after their name, so that they became known as T-totalers, and later, teetotalers.

The Story of Richard "Dicky" Turner

One of the most well-known origin stories is lent authority by an epitaph. Written on a tombstone near Preston, in Lancashire, England, is "Beneath this stone are deposited the remains of Richard Turner, author of the word 'teetotal' as applied to abstinence from all intoxicating liquors, who departed this life on the 27th day of October 1846, aged 56 years."

That is one heck of a strange and long epitaph and the fact that someone would go through the trouble of engraving it on a tombstone may seem to be very good evidence that Turner really did invent the word, but keep in mind that just because the person responsible for the epitaph really believed it, doesn't mean that he or she had unassailable evidence for it.

Why Was the Word Teetotal So Important To Temperance?

It may help to understand why the word teetotal was so important to the temperance movement, then. Temperance did not start out as a movement toward total abstinence. Instead, it was about "entire abstinence from ardent spirits." 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. There are even stories about wine being served at early temperance meetings! It seems that there was doubt, in some people's mind, that wine, beer, and cider contained alcohol as did spirits.

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. It is usually claimed that the move toward total abstinence began in England and then move to America. The pledge for temperance, before this time, was for abstaining from spirits. This became known as the "old pledge" or the "moderation pledge." Abstaining from any and all alcoholic beverages became known as the "total pledge." It is not really known exactly when, why, and where this movement first began, but most early histories do indeed seem to place the first "teetotal society" in Preston, in 1832. The Preston society did begin using a total abstinence pledge in 1832 and it did become known as the teetotal pledge.

This is just some of the fascinating reads about it I found on this website.

http://www.culinarylore.com/drinks:origin-of-the-word-teetotaler

Edited November 3, 20178 yr by I Got This

Interesting stuff. I've heard of the "temperance" movement but wasn't aware there was two layers to it. I thought it was no alcohol of any nature what so ever.  I wonder if there are any documents around in archives that would have the signatures of any of these people on them? If you could find those, you could see if they used a "T" after their name.

 

I've also read it has to do with ANY mind altering substances.... Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, ect...

4 hours ago, Doreensfree said:

 

4 hours ago, Doreensfree said:

You could also put NS...for non smoker..so if I see TNS...after your name..I will be very impressed......

 

Ugh still getting the hang of this

Adding to the T N and S you could add

R for real

And A for awesome and be

TRANS 

I am a teetotaler myself. (Not to be confused with prude) Wrote you a nice long reply last night, but it got lost somewhere in cyberspace. :(  If the booze tastes like shit, leave it alone and count your blessings! JKPK (T)

I already have a "T" at the end of my name. Very fitting. 

Best,

PT

OK so; if I am hearing this correctly .......if we ever get together in person & have a party, I get to drink ALL the alcohol

You are welcome to my drink tickets, Reci!

Nope. Me and smarti drank a few at mousetown bar one night. Bet Nancy still takes off her clothes with a shot or two. 

9 hours ago, reciprocity said:

OK so; if I am hearing this correctly .......if we ever get together in person & have a party, I get to drink ALL the alcohol

Yes.... and I will be the D.D. for the night..... but we take your car.....No puking or pissing your pants in mine...

6 hours ago, I Got This (T) said:

Yes.... and I will be the D.D. for the night..... but we take your car.....No puking or pissing your pants in mine...

What?

Edited November 10, 20178 yr by reciprocity

We have this regular at my bar... and one of the servers gave her a ride home because we knew she couldn't drive.... and she pissed her pants in her car... it's actually really sad because she has a serious problem, but is still functioning and holds a very good job....functioning but dysfunctional 

3 hours ago, I Got This (T) said:

We have this regular at my bar... and one of the servers gave her a ride home because we knew she couldn't drive.... and she pissed her pants in her car... it's actually really sad because she has a serious problem, but is still functioning and holds a very good job....functioning but dysfunctional 

One of my sister's was like that and had a very good job. She eventually went on "sick leave" and never went back. Years of medical diagnosis followed with apparently no result. Job terminated her and she could not get long term disability because of the vague medical details. Turned into a big lawsuit where the lawyers get most of the $$.

As it turned out, she was just a drunk who finally decided she would prefer to drink rather than work. Now she's dead from drinking and smoking. I had to clean her house. Wish I had photos to show. It would dissuade anyone from starting to smoke.

 

Truly sad when you come across people like that and you KNOW you can't help them until they want to help themselves! Their future is not a bright picture!!

On 11/7/2017 at 1:04 AM, I Got This (T) said:

hey, you know how Yoda mixes up words right? If he developed dyslexia, would he then say words in a normal order?