Dictionary
ab•sti•nence
Pronunciation: (ab'stu-nuns), [key]—
n.
1. forbearance from any indulgence of appetite, esp. from the use of alcoholic beverages:
total abstinence.
2. any self-restraint, self-denial, or forbearance.
3. Econ.the conserving of current income in order to build up capital or savings.
4. the state of being without a drug, as alcohol or heroin, on which one is dependent.
Also,ab'sti•nen•cy.Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.