National Edge Day 2026
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It is an observance held each October 17 promoting the so-called "Straight Edge" lifestyle whereby you live free from alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs, often paired with values of self-discipline, clean living, and personal conviction.
Should October 17 fall on a weekday, the event is usually moved to the nearest Saturday.
I recall my younger drug culture influences on my attitudes and ambitions and it came to a raging head one day when "drug testing" was implemented by many of the employers here is insipid inbred southerner land and it all came to a head when I had to decide if I wanted to work or partake of altered consiousness the rest of my life.
My then best friend was a total "head" doing all manner of pain killers and psychoactive adulterations to his body on a frequent basis — to the point he would do "uppers" and "downers" to counteract each other in his activities of daily living.
The Straight Edge subculture upon which the observance is based was totally unknown to me at a conscious level. However I did come to a number of parallel conclusions whereby I prefered a steady income over the temporary escape offered by various psycho actives.
Working won out hands down in my particular case.
I watched some of my friends suffer greatly having given up their gainful employment over the perception of rights being walked on, freedoms denied, and there were many and varied rationale for the claims of employers overstep in their lives. Of course the evil insurance industry was quick to pounce on everyone by offering discounts on all drug tests.
So, in my particular instance that drug culture of my life simply had to go. Cold turkey cessation wasn't difficult for me. It wasn't a strain or causation of withdrawal. I stopped all the mess over economics and never resumed even in retirement.