photo taken from advanceusa.org

What comes to your mind whenever you hear the word abstinence? Thesaurus defines abstinence as restraint from desires, especially physical desires. Hence we can say that abstinence is avoidance from sex. However, do many people practice abstinence nowadays? Some people maybe but as for the majority, the act of abstaining from sex is viewed as old-fashioned or obsolete.

Yet, some people still prefer not to have sex until they get married. Do you abhor these people? Do you think they don’t belong in this world just because they are different? I don’t think so. These people are just well informed and they practice their beliefs religiously. They know the damaging effects of unsafe sex. They also were taught in their church that sex is only for married couples and so they choose to lead that path and we must respect them for what they believe in.

Abstinence is also being taught in schools and is said to be the best method of std prevention. But as a teenager, it is very hard to abstain from sex especially with the kind of environment that we have, the pressure coming from peers and the influence coming from the media. Still, there is still hope. Everything we do is a product of our own decision. We have the freewill to choose. If we think that abstinence is the best method of std prevention then we must follow what our mind is telling us.

Aside from abstinence, other methods of std prevention is by using condoms each time you engage in sexual activity, or by taking birth control pills and avoiding multiple sex partners. Choose whichever is best for you and don’t be ashamed of it for aside from protecting yourself, you can also protect your partner from acquiring sexually transmitted diseases.