Basic Trope: Someone who goes teetotal, and doesn't drink alcohol.
- Straight: Bob never drinks alcoholic beverages.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob refuses to consume anything when there's a remote chance that it contains small amounts of alcohol.
- Bob makes a huge deal out of the fact that he never drinks, and tries to get alcohol banned.
- In addition to alcohol, Bob won't even touch caffeine.
- Downplayed: Bob rarely drinks alcohol, and never enough to get intoxicated.
- Justified:
- Bob wants to keep his wits about him.
- Bob's father was abusive and an alcoholic. Bob doesn't want to end up like him.
- In the past, Bob himself was the abusive alcoholic. He hurt the people around him and never wants to do that again.
- Bob's religion forbids the consumption of alcohol.
- Bob doesn't like the taste of alcoholic drinks.
- Bob is on medication, and consuming alcohol could cause the medication to kill him.
- Bob's job requires him to be sober at all times.
- Alice is pregnant and doesn't want to harm her baby by drinking alcohol.
- Inverted:
- Subverted: Bob abstains from drinking with his friends, but it turns out he's taking a medication that shouldn't be combined with alcohol.
- Double Subverted: When he finishes taking his medication, it's revealed that he was a teetotaler anyway.
- Parodied:
- Bob is a stoner that refuses to consume alcohol "because Drugs Are Bad".
- Bob is a Big Eater and chain smoker that claims he doesn't drink "because it's unhealthy".
- Zig-Zagged: Bob is a recovering alcoholic trying to be a teetotaler, but he repeatedly falls Off the Wagon.
- Averted:
- No characters are ever seen drinking. Whether they're teetotal is irrelevant.
- Bob drinks as much as everyone else.
- Enforced:
- "Because Drugs Are Bad, the Moral Guardians will complain if we let the main character drink alcohol."
- In a video game full of various Booze-Based Buff, a player decides to forgo them as a Self-Imposed Challenge. There is even an Achievement for it.
- Lampshaded: "That guy is drinking Coke at a bar." "Yes, I've been his friend since childhood and I've never seen him drink alcohol."
- Invoked: Bob's parents teach him about the dangers of alcohol. Bob actually listens to them.
- Exploited:
- Bob's friends make him a Designated Driver because he doesn't drink anyway.
- Bob is attacked by a belligerent drunk — and, being sober and clear-headed, easily defeats his assailant.
- Defied: Bob's friends convince him to try alcohol. After tasting a few drinks, he reluctantly admits that he likes it.
- Discussed: "I have never seen Bob drink. I wonder if he ever does it."
- Conversed: "Why can't most teenagers see what Bob sees, that you can definitely live a fun and exciting life without alcohol?" "Maybe they will if they read the book about him."
- Implied: Bob is always the Designated Driver and, in contrast to the rest of the cast, is never seen suffering from a hangover.
- Deconstructed:
- In Bob's culture, drinking alcohol is considered a sign of adulthood and manliness. Bob is considered immature and looked down upon.
- Bob has trouble maintaining social relationships, as he is from a culture or a line of work where groups of friends and co-workers are expected to go to bars and drink together.
- Reconstructed: Bob later proves that he's a badass even though he doesn't drink. Thanks to Bob, teetotallers eventually gain more respect.
- Played For Laughs: Bob's friends try to get him drunk with a variety of methods, but Bob always outsmarts them and their attempts often backfire hilariously.
- Played For Drama: Bob is a teenager that doesn't really want to try alcohol, but his friends try to peer pressure him into doing it.
Grab your tea and return to The Teetotaler.
