Dear readers,

The straight edge lifestyle is one that was originally adopted from a subculture of hardcore punk music. Music aside, it is a lifestyle whose devotees refrain from the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It is a life in which many people take great pride and seriousness in, including this writer. In some aspects, we as straight edge disciples are seen as outlandish or eccentric, or even high-and-mighty because we are different from what the norm is in our society.

Typically, what is seen as our norm is that peer pressure is just a way of life. You can only fit in with the crowd if you drink and/or smoke. You can only have fun at a party under the influence. You must think you're better than everyone else because you're straight edge. The list goes on and on to what people typically perceive. However, while these claims are all present in the world, they are not the end all, be all.

Being drug free and poison free, we know that peer pressure is a part of life, but it is not THE way of life. Yes, we all have those friends that easily cave in to it in order to avoid confrontation, being made fun of, and not fitting in. We will do whatever we can to help those friends while staying drug free, poison free, and most importantly, judgment free. While the choices they make may not be the right ones, our jobs as their friends is to support them and make sure they are responsible, not losing sight of who they really are.

Through our own experiences whether they be from seeing friends or family members in a downward spiral or seeing examples being set of what hard work represents, we have somehow developed an uncanny willpower. We have somehow learned how to naturally just say no without it feeling as rehearsed as a Nancy Reagan advertisement. We are wired against the societal grain, but we are proud to be clean without thinking twice.

We are proud to be able to find ways to fit in without drugs or alcohol. Yes, it sometimes does suck going to social events such as parties or clubs and struggling to find ways to spark conversations on our own. We see most everyone around us being so outgoing, seemingly without any effort at all. However, we know that some of these people are under the influence in some way and they are practically an entirely different person. This makes our temporary struggle worthwhile because once we do build up the courage, our confidence is at an all time high and we have the potential to create unbelievable bonds...ALL on our own.

And hey, we know what you must be thinking. "Dude, you must have a really boring personality. You need to be drunk just once." No, we don't need to get drunk, and no, we don't have boring personalities. We are people just like you. We are extroverts and introverts just like you. We can be goofy and juvenile just like you, too. We just need the right environment and level of comfort to throw ourselves out there.

We have the capability and willingness to get along with anybody, as well as have the utmost respect for anybody. However, we would like that respect in return. We are never out to harp on anybody for living the way they want to, nor are we here to preach to the choir on how drugs are bad and alcohol is bad because we still want to be accepted and included in gatherings.

We have different reasons why we choose to be straight edge. Some of us have friends and or family members that are battling their own demons, motivating us to never try anything or want to feel the aftermath of a buzz. Some of us simply want to feel constant energy. Some of us may also pride ourselves on great athleticism and conditioning, and never want to lose that. Lastly, some of us may fear rushing our own demise and/or becoming out-of-control shells of ourselves. This is not to say that this happens to everyone who uses drugs or alcohol.

Simply put, us straight edge people just prefer to not use substances for our own benefits. We want to keep finding different ways to have fun whether it be dancing like a fool at a club, biking, disc golfing, gardening, or even writing articles for The Odyssey. There are so many fun things to do that drugs or alcohol never even come close to crossing our minds. While we are strict in not allowing them, we are also preoccupied with other great things in our lives that we don't even think about them.

We beat to our own drum. We know we are a bit different. We are happy with that. We do what we want. We make our own rules. We don't follow every trend. We love, love, LOVE to have a rocking good time and be ourselves.

This is the life of a straight edge partier.