Why should you abstain?

You deserve the best, right? Well, abstinence is the best. Here’s why:

Self-respect. By practicing abstinence, you are making the best decision for yourself, not for somebody else. Many teens who have sex aren’t sure they want to. They just think it’s expected of them. After they do it, they don’t always feel they did the right thing or did what they really wanted to do.

Big emotional issues. Having sex brings out emotions that no one is ready for, even adults. That’s why it’s best to wait until you’re married, so you can work through those issues with your wife or husband, someone whose love you are sure of.

Your future. Having a baby or getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) won’t usually kill you but it sure does make life a lot tougher. It particularly makes it more difficult to do the things you want to do with your life. Everybody has dreams and goals, things they want to do with their lives. Having a baby or an catching an STD can keep you from making those dreams come true.

Your parents. Your parents may not say much about sex but they want you to be safe and happy. One way to make sure you respect your parents and the rest of your family is to abstain.

Your faith. If you have religious beliefs and your religion advocates abstinence until marriage (almost all religions do), the way to live your beliefs is to be abstinent.

Guaranteed safety. We don’t want to scare you but we need to talk about this. Most STD’s can’t kill you but HIV/AIDS can. Even some of the STD’s that won’t kill you can’t be cured. They can be painful and embarrassing. Sound like something you want?


What about raising a baby, how much it costs and how hard it is. Does that sound like something you want now? Sexual abstinence is the only thing that guarantees you won’t get pregnant, make someone else pregnant or catch a sexually transmitted disease (STD). 

Abstaining from alcohol, tobacco and drugs is just as important. Why? Because if you do drugs or drink, you are more likely to have sex because you are not in full control of your actions. Plus, it’s easier for someone else to talk you into something when you’re high, something you wouldn’t ordinarily do. And using tobacco may have you hanging out with other kids who are more likely to be having sex, and that might influence you.


These are the reasons we say abstinence is the best. Maybe you can think of some others. E-mail them to us! Here’s our address: abstinence@wvdhhr.org

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