---Not trying to be argumentative, but strictly speaking, there is no such thing as abstinence from an object or thing.
Statements like, "Abstain from phone" or "Abstain from sky" or "Abstain from boat" or "Abstain from gun" are completely nonsensical and actually ungrammatical when invoked as independent constructions.
"Abstain" is a negation of action. When that action is not specifically named, the listener (Or reader) deduces it based on the context.
For example, we would understand both of these statements to mean the same thing:
--Abstain from junk food
--Abstain from eating junk food
...because we automatically associate the verb, Eat with the noun, Food.
Sometimes though, this association is less clear because there are several different actions that could be associated with a single object.
Consider two more examples:
A pregnant women visits her obstetrican. She is told, "Pregnant women should abstain from alcohol."
A man with a skin condition visits his dermatologist. He is told, "Persons with sensitive skin should abstain from alcohol."
Both doctors have told their patients to, "Abstain from alcohol" but they were obviously talking about two different and unrelated actions.
The woman has been told not to Drink alcoholic beverages, but she is still free to apply cosmetics containing alcohol on her skin.
The man has been told not to Apply alcohol to his skin, but he is still free to drink beverages containing alcohol.
An "Abstain from...." phrase negates a very clearly defined action and the context is critical in determining that action.
Some might remember the football star, Walter Peyton and how he died of a liver ailment. In the final months of his life, he was told to "Abstain from meat."
Would he have violated that advice if he had accepted a liver transplant? Is taking in tissue via transplant the same thing as taking in tissue via eating?
Of course not. Only an absolute moron would seriously believe that instructions involving diet would pertain to surgery. The JW's confuse otherwise intelligent people and make them believe that this type of moronic conclusion is reasonable through semantic legerdemain vis a vis the word, "Absain."