Straightedge is a lifestyle some people follow, in which they abstain from drink, drugs (including alcohol) and casual sex. It is sometimes abbreviated to sXe.

Being straightedge is not a trend or fad however some people follow it, or pretend to, to seem cool. (see: scene kid, emo). Being straightedge doesn't mean a person can't have fun or is too scared to do drugs, it just means they don't have to do that to have a good time.

Some people who are straightedge have already experienced the drink-and-drugs way of life and have decided it wasn't for them, or there was no need for it, one famous example being Ian Watkins of Lostprophets.

As it is a lifestyle and not a set of rules, many people have their own form of it e.g. some straightedgers are vegan/vegatarian, don't drink coffee or refuse medicinal drugs; these are not principles every straightedge person follows though.

Straightedge has nothing to do with religion. Although the idea of refraining from casual sex, drugs and alcohol is one seen in many religions, you don't have to be religious to be sXe.

Many people are straightedge without realising it - they don't do it to be righteous or follow a trend, they just are. Some people wear shirts with slogans like "poison free" but these are the type who are often very smug about their lifestyle and want to show off or force it onto others. People like these, and the emo/scene posers, are the ones who give being straightedge a bad name.

a lifetime commitment never to drink, smoke, or do drugs. some people include abstainence from promiscuous sex. others abstain from caffeine. started in the hardcore/punk scene of the early 1980's in Washington DC.

Movement started in 1981 by D.C. Hardcore band, Minor Threat. Drawn from the two songs "Out of Step" and "Straightedge", in which in the former, they emphasize the values of "Don't drink! Don't smoke! Don't fuck!" which means no drugs, alcohol, or promiscuous sex. The movement grew in the hardcore scene as it stood at the time as a stark contrast to the drug and beer-heavy punk 'scenes' of the time. It is still kept on today, although a militaristic and violent branch of straightedge known as 'hardliner' has become more prevalent in some circles, in addition to straightedge's marriage to veganism in others. There are still many out there that believe in real straightedge though, regardless if there're 'x's on their hands or not. It has also been looked down upon by many people as another brand of conformity nowadays.

Someone who doesn't do drugs, or drink. Others should not care whether someone is straight edge in this sense.

A ruler, or something that can be used to draw straight lines.

The principle "don't drink, don't smoke, don't fuck" which came to be in the late 80s by Ian MacKaye and the band Minor Threat.
Most straightedge kids nowadays flaunt the fact that they're straightedge by drawing X's on their hands, wearing clothing that says "Drug Free" or "XXX" or "Poison Free", because for some reason they feel the need to let everyone know they're drug free.
Some (but not all) straightedge kids are sXe because they feel the need to fit in to a group, and they can do so by avoiding toxins.
Straightedge is not to be confused with hardline kids, who are a violent version of straightedge and kick the asses of smokers and drug doers, because for some reason they believe people should not make their own choices.

you dont have to be hardcore emo to be straightedge. you just dont drink/dont smoke/dont fuck

of a group of people who commit to a lifestyle free of drugs and alcohol, because those things are stupid
abbreviated as "sXe" or "xxx"