What Being Straight-Edge Means to Me (National Edge Day)

In celebration of "National Edge Day," I figured I'd give some insight into why I chose the straight-edge lifestyle.

I've been straight-edge my entire life, but I made a conscious effort to do so around the age of 21 or so. First off, in case you don't know what straight-edge actually is, it's a subculture that formed around punk rock music in the 70's and got its name in 80's. The core principals of the straight-edge culture are abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. Some people also abstain from promiscuous sex and have a vegan diet.

I decided to be straight-edge because alcohol, drugs, and smoking really didn't interest me to begin with. It's not something that I grew up around and was never tempted by it. To be fair, I was raised Mormon (I no longer attend church) and their fundamentals are also based around from abstaining from those things. Some people leave the teachings of Mormonism, go buck-wild, and drink all the things. I decided that, even without a church telling me not to do those things, they just weren't for me.

As lame as it may sound, a lot of my influence to become straight-edge came from professional wrestler CM Punk. Here was this cool guy living his dream and doing it his own way. I gave me someone to look up to. There are straight-edge celebrities, no doubt, but here was a guy who was building his character around this idea of being straight-edge. It was nice to know that someone I admired also shared the same belief that I do.

A lot of my decision to be straight-edge has to do with being in control. I know what flaws that I have. And I know that one of them is sometimes utilizing unhealthy coping mechanisms. I have zero doubt that I might use drugs or alcohol to cope with some of my tougher days. And recognizing this has probably saved me from getting into a lot of trouble. Being straight-edge means that I am in control of my own life. I don't want to be able to blame something else for my mistakes.

There are some misconceptions that I judge anyone who drinks, smokes, or does drugs. And that's not the case at all. My choices don't have to apply to you. I have no problem hanging out in bars or going out with friends where alcohol is involved. My only pet-peeve is when people can't accept that I don't do those things. Peer pressure unfortunately exists when you are 29 years old. If someone says they don't drink, just respect it. Don't try to get me to do things by saying "Oh, you've never tried it," or "You might like it." My least favorite is when people insinuate that I'd be happier if I did those things. I'm plenty happy just the way I am. Please respect that.

Overall, being straight edge is just who I am now. If I were to start doing any of those things now, I'd be betraying who I am. I am the straight-edge guy. That's who I am. And I'm absolutely happy about that.

Happy Edge Day!