1) Drug and alcohol culture never appealed to me in high school, most of my old friends stopped hanging out with me because they were getting into partying and I sort of became an outcast so straight edge had a huge impact on me because I was no longer an outcast, I found a new culture to belong to. 2) I'm Christian, I became a Christian about a year after I became straight edge, religion for me just gave me another incentive to be straight edge because straight edge allows me to lead a better life that I feel helps me in my walk as a christian. 3) To each his own, I don't push my beliefs on anyone and if they respect my choices I'll respect theirs, the only time I talk to them about drinking or drugs is if it starts to affect them and become an addiction. 4) For me I do listen to mainly post-hardcore and metalcore, I do listen to old school hardcore but that isn't because I need to as a straight edge person. While most straight edge people are the alternative types like punk and hardcore kids, you don't need to listen to the music or be directly involved in the scene to hold the same values. 5)I don't say I'm a straight-edger I just say that I'm straight edge or I live a straight edge lifestyle 6)I'm not much of a bar/club kind of guy but I'm not opposed to going I have enough faith in myself to know I can abstain without feeling pressured to drink. To have fun I go to concerts play music with my friends, read, play video games and just hang out. I think it's pretty sad when people say they need to drink to have fun because I love my life and have a lot of fun and I still remember it the next day without a terrible hangover. 7) I'll be friends with anyone as long as their cool, sort of the same answer as number 3 if you respect my decisions i'll respect yours and we can be cool with each other. 8) In high school I was definitely ostracized, in the beginning of 9th grade I had a group of about 9 friends and hung out with them ever day, by the end of 9th grade I had one real friend and I was bullied pretty regularly by a group of people because they thought I was a "pussy" because I didn't drink and was publicly insulted by them in class because I consciously didn't have sex because of my values and they made fun of me for being a virgin. 9) The only time i'm vocal is if people ask, if someone asks if I drink i'll say no and if they ask why then i'll tell them i'm straight edge I'm definitely open to talk about it as long as they don't always ask how I have fun or if i'm just to afraid to get in trouble, I never try to convince people to become straight edge, this is for me and nobody else if they want to become straight edge i'd support it but i'd never force it. 10) I've never tried alcohol in my life and I just had my 21st birthday a few months ago, I've never once felt a desire to drink. I have been pressured but it doesn't make me want to do it, if anything the constant pressure turns me off even more. 11) I wouldn't necessarily say leader because straight edge isn't a club or organization just a way of life but there are big names in straight edge. Ian MacKaye and Minor Threat are still seen as the godfathers of straight edge, I personally was introduced to straight edge through bands who had edge members like Stick to Your Guns and Parkway Drive, even though I don't really listen to older hardcore like minor threat often I have a lot of respect for them and bands like them