An Irishman walks into a Dublin pub and orders four pints of ale. He takes all of them to a table, sets them around the table, and starts drinking the one in front of him. Then, he gets up, sits in another chair, and starts sipping another pint. He goes around the table this way until all four pints are finished.
In the process, the bartender gently reminds him the ale will be colder and fresher if he would just order them one at a time.
The Irishman answers, "Aaack, I drink fer me brudders. One is in Australia, one is in Canada, and one is in Scotland. Me custom is to drink not only fer meself, but also in honor of me far-flung brudders."
The bartender understands this, and everyone in the pub heard the explanation, and nodded their heads in understanding of the closeness of brothers.
This goes on, every day, for months. Always four pints of ale, always sipped one mug at a time. The pub regulars know why, and don't bother the guy.
One day, he comes in and orders three pints of ale, not four. The entire pub becomes hushed. After a few moments, the bartender gently says, "I dunna know what happened, lad, but we're all sorry fer yer loss."
The guy is confused for a moment, and then finally realizes what the bartender is implying. He says, "AH!! No, no, everybody is fine! It's just that I've given up drinking!"