Sex and drugs don’t always go hand and hand with rock ‘n’ roll, especially if you’re straight-edge.
The concept of being straight-edge has been around since the early ’80s, when the punk band Minor Threat chose to promote a healthier lifestyle by avoiding alcohol, drugs and promiscuity.
Today, many students at colleges and universities around the United States, including ETSU, have embraced the straight-edge doctrine. Straight-edge is a philosophy taken on by an individual who wishes to adopt a more moral and clean form of living by refraining from drinking and drugs. It is meant to be a positive alternative to the peer pressure and bad habits many students face.
Dallas Tester, a junior at ETSU and an advocate for the straight-edge lifestyle, said, “I chose to be straight-edge when I was in eighth grade. I saw the effects that drinking had on my friends and wanted to live by a higher standard.”
Straight-edge.com, a web site promoting the lifestyle, said, “The goal is to regain as much personal control over your own life as possible. It is the only youth counter-culture to actively discourage drug use, alcohol use, and casual sex. Being straight-edge is not just about being into contemporary punk music acts and being against drugs. The movement wishes to attract people away from dependency lifestyles and bad living habits common in modern cultures.”
Taking on the “edge” way of life is a serious commitment and not one to be taken lightly. But just because you have not lived up to the straight-edge standard in the past doesn’t mean you can’t take it up. Joey Metcalf and Melissa Hodge, also students and straight-edge, both started out battling with drinking and drugs.
“I just woke up one day and realized what I was doing to myself,” Metcalf said. “I stopped hanging out with the friends that were bad influences and got myself together. It’s really about self-preservation. I want to be there for the people I care about.”
Hodge said, “I drank for awhile, but it really lost its appeal. I’d rather take care of myself and have fun some other way.”
Giving up drinking and drugs is just part of the straight-edge scene. Punk music has strong ties to this lifestyle, and bands including Youth of Today, Earth Crisis, XTime to DieX and Chain of Strength are just a few that have adopted the straight-edge way.
Ray Cappo, lead singer of Youth of Today, said on his web site, “Why drink? Why smoke? How is that hardcore? To me, hardcore means change. That stuff that they are doing is old.
“Everyone drinks and smokes in high school. I always hated those kids in my school and I hated that whole ‘party’ scene, but this punk rock scene is no different. We must make a change. I personally dedicate myself to making a change.”
To find out more on the straight-edge lifestyle, go to straight-edge.com for information and frequently asked questions.
For information on Youth of Today, go to xyouthoftodayx.cjb.net.

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