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...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Anderson, K., Marlatt, G. A., & Denning, P. (2010). How to change your drinking: A harm reduction guide to alcohol. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Anonymous. (2002). Alcoholics anonymous, 4th edn. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous Word Services.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Fact sheets: Alcohol use and health. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
Dasa, S. (2007). A Hindu Primer. Retrieved from http://www.sanskrit.org/www/Hindu%20Primer/dharma.html
New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. (2013). Addiction medicine fyi: Alcohol and cooking. Retrieved from http://www.oasas.ny.gov/admed/fyi/fyi-cooking.cfm
Okrent, D. (2011). Last call: The rise and fall of prohibition. New York: Scribner.
Posner, M. (2009). What is Judaism’s take on alcohol consumption? Retrieved from http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/581082/jewish/What-is-Judaisms-take-on-alcohol-consumption.htm
World Health Organization. (2011). Global status report on alcohol health. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/global_alcohol_report/en/
Zieger, S. (2002). Temperance, teetotalism, and addiction in the nineteenth century. Retrieved from http://www.victorianweb.org/science/addiction/temperance.htm
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
O’Connor, P. (2013). Alcohol Abstinence and Sobriety. In: Thompson, P., Kaplan, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6167-4_284-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6167-4_284-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6167-4
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities