In the 1800s and 1900s, the word "abstinence," used without other explanation, almost always meant abstinence from alcohol. The "abstinence movement," for example, led to the establishment of [[prohibition]]. ''Teetotaler'' mean someone who advocated "total abstinence," rather than just moderation.
Starting in about the 1990s, "abstinence" has been more commonly used in the context of abstinence from [[sexual]] intercourse, particularly in the United States in the context of [[sex ]] education for adolescents. Thus, for example, we read in a 2002 White House policy statement:
:the goal of Federal policy should be to emphasize abstinence as the only certain way to avoid both unintended pregnancies and STDs.<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/welfare-book-06.html WORKING TOWARD INDEPENDENCE
Encourage Abstinence and Prevent Teen Pregnancy], White House News and Policies, February 2002]