i used to be straight edge.
people always ask if i'm going to be straight edge forever. i guess i can't answer that. and i think thats okay. but i do know that i dont care about drinking a glass of wine at my wedding. so stop asking. IUTBSE is here for you to tell your story to anyone who wants to hear it.
if you want your story to be heard, send it , along with a picture of yourself, to iusedtobestraightedge@gmail.com
despite what it may seem, this site is not only for people who USED to be straight edge. its for anyone who has ever had something positive to say about the lifestyle.
-IUTBSE
Apr 22nd, 2009 @ 9:30 am
David Jasper . Paper Heart Clothing
Being a teenager in the suburbs of Berlin, Germany, going out means getting
wasted. When I was growing up I became the drummer for a ska punk band which
threw me into a circle of playing shows in crowded basements and partying
hard. Vodka and pot were always present. Literally all of my friends back
then went by the rule „If you can still walk, you‘re not having enough fun!“
Around my 19th birthday, I was a frequent drinker at parties and with the
dudes in my band. However, I could watch myself become more and more
disgusted and turned off by the whole „Waste Yourself“ mentality of the
people I hung out with. My parents had told me that whatever I felt I had to
try I was allowed to, even though they would not be happy about it. That
rule of „do what you feel is right for you“ got me thinking when I started
to see my friends pass out or be high literally every time we had band
rehearsals.
In 2007, in the aftermath of a breakup scenario with my girlfriend, I felt
so polluted inside from junkfood, TV, candy and alcohol (which I didn‘t even
drink alot anymore back then), I kind of looked in the mirror and took a
step forward, quitting all those things altogether. It felt like the best
thing I had ever done for myself. Right around that time I also quit the
band. Over all the partying, drinking and doing pot, the creativity had
disappeared completely.
I don‘t recall a time where I had been more proud of myself or felt more
refreshed and able to do everything I wanted, than when I stood there
without polluting myself in all these different ways. I took a look around
and found the stuff that made me happy and redefined myself. I came across
Mat, who is now my best friend in the world. Together, we shared the
drugfree lifestyle and dreaming up crazy ideas and projects we wanted to do.
Today, I feel more free than ever, I know that the friends I have are the
ones that support me in what I do. I don‘t drink, I don‘t smoke, I don‘t eat
meat. Instead, I do music, I do art, I kiss girls without having bad breath
from alcohol or meat. I see life as it is without a blur and I am going for
it.
My dream of starting a clothing company has become reality with the birth of
Paper Heart Clothing in March 09 and the blog that goes along with it,
documenting the progress of it all carries the title „Happy Is The New Sad
“ which defines where I am at in my life since I turned straight edge.
The website is www.iheartyou.de
