Synonyms
Introduction
In its most basic form, alcohol is the product of the natural fermentation of sugars by yeast. The first time a human ate fermented berries or honey is not known. What is known is that mead, which is fermented honey, is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages. Ale and wine also made very early appearances on the beverage scene. Alcohol has been both an ingredient in the cooking and preparation of food and an accompaniment or complement to food.
Alcohol abstinence is the categorical refusal to consume alcohol as a beverage or as an ingredient in food preparation.
Sobriety is a term that people use who have changed their consumption of and relation to alcohol. Most often, the term is used by those who previously had consumed alcohol in troubling, harmful, or unhealthy ways.
People abstain or practice sobriety for a variety of reasons. The most commonly cited reasons for not drinking include concerns about the effects of...
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O’Connor, P. (2019). Alcohol Abstinence and Sobriety. In: Kaplan, D.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1179-9_284
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