At first glance, 47-year-old politician Hanno Pevkur and 37-year-old rapper Rainer Olbri may not seem to have much in common.

One has a law degree, is always in a suit and currently serving as Estonia's defense minister. The other is a rapper, stage name Metsakutsu, with a background in advertising and publicity, a job as creative lead at Bolt and hasn't worn a suit since his own wedding.

Both are also nondrinkers.

Asked in an interview with ETV's "Impulss" if he has ever tasted any alcohol before, Pevkur admitted to having had a taste of homebrew beer as a kid.

"Well, if you count that as alcohol, then when I was three or four, I had a bit of the foam and a small sip of homebrew beer left over from a harvest celebration," he said.

Olbri revealed that he's tried the taste of wine and beer. "But I've never had more than a single sip of alcohol," he clarified. "I just can't swallow something so unpleasant."

Olbri is a real Tallinn native. He grew up in the Põhja-Tallinn neighborhood of Pelgulinn, where was raised by his grandmother, an art teacher, and grandfather, a potter.

"There were instances in my family of what you could describe as alcoholism," he acknowledged. "My grandfather would leave home for a couple of weeks because he needed to drink, or there were parties at home that sometimes got out of hand or led to scuffles because of alcohol."

Growing up sober in Joodiku

Pevkur has roots in the Virumaa region of Estonia. He lived the first 12 years of his childhood in the Ida-Viru County village of Iisaku, but would spend summers at his ancestors' farm in the village of Joodiku, where the family has since renovated the old farmhouse.

Looking back, he finds it amusing that a teetotaler would grow up in a place literally called "Drunkard."

"I'm very grateful to my parents for not setting strict limits on me," Pevkur said. "If I had wanted to try or drink alcohol in my youth, I would have had endless opportunities to do so."

Both men say it's hard to pinpoint a single reason they've chosen to live alcohol-free lives.

Olbri noted that his friends are rather fond of alcohol, but because they were older than him, they developed a sort of defense mechanism.

"We got up to all sorts of mischief in high school, but at some point, it became a running joke: 'Rainer doesn't drink, don't give him any,'" he recalled. "It turned into this protective thing — 'Don't give him any, don't give him any!' And that joke eventually turned into the fact that I've basically never drunk in my life."

Pevkur affirmed he can have fun without drinking, and has never felt the need for alcohol.

Both admitted that there have been instances where people have assumed they're drunk. Olbri recalled rumors going around in online comment sections about him being drunk during the years he was more actively involved in music.

Neither of the two men have ever tried drugs or smoked cigarettes either.

Asked if they have never even been tempted to try these other substances either, Pevkur explained that there are so many other wonderful things in life, and that he sees no reason to ruin his life with alcohol or tobacco.

"My father did smoke, and I once calculated the cost of all the cigarettes he'd smoked over his lifetime," the minister said. "You realize it adds up to the price of a decent mid-range car. Then you might start seeing it in a whole different light — thinking about how much you've saved on alcohol and tobacco."

When he was younger, Olbri had even worked a stint bartending, and some of his customers even mocked him for being a nondrinker.

Designated drivers

While alcohol and other vices often play a central role in rap lyrics, he, as Metsakutsu, deliberately bucks the trend.

"It gives me a certain style," Olbri explained. "Rap usually revolves around partying, alcohol and a sort of 'bang-bang' vibe, but we can write from the perspective that things aren't like that — that there are deeper things to delve into in this music."

Throughout his life, he's also been a designated driver for his friends.

"I've driven friends from Tallinn to Tartu, and I've played taxi driver after events, dropping everyone off to wherever and at home," he noted.

Pevkur, meanwhile, recalled that his sobriety also allowed him to help a small child injured at a wedding.

"A young kid got their fingers stuck between rocks while playing on the beach," he said. "Their finger was hurt pretty badly and needed stitches, so in the middle of the night, before the bride had even given away her bridal wreath, we had to drive to the ER."

Olbri has a rule of leaving parties before 1 a.m., while Pevkur will always drive home from late-night events, no matter how late the night or from how far away.

Neither, however, believes that everyone should necessarily abstain from alcohol, nor have they influenced their spouses to abstain from it.

Both men emphasized that adults are free to choose whether or not to drink, adding that they don't feel uncomfortable around inebriated people either.

'Overregulation isn't the way'

Although Hanno Pevkur has previously also served as minister of social affairs, during his nearly four years in the role, he wasn't known for imposing strict alcohol policy. "Impulss" asked him about his current stance on the issue.

"Overregulation is definitely not the answer — we've all seen that," Pevkur stated.

"We saw the dry law in the 1980s, and nearly a hundred years ago, there were similar efforts to restrict the spread of alcohol," he continued. "This is not the way. The key is still a good education. The state's job is to give people the opportunity to manage their own lives."

Olbri, meanwhile, simply urges policymakers to exercise common sense.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!