Sexual abstinence

Sexual abstinence is the practice of not having sex. It is a choice that some people make. As well as sex itself, they may also choose to abstain from other sexual activities. Sexual abstinence has been debated since ancient history, both in terms of same-sex and opposite-sex relationships. Some people take anaphrodisiacs to help them stay abstinent.Taberner, P. V. "Introduction: The Nature of Aphrodisiacs." Aphrodisiacs. Springer, Boston, MA, 1985. 1-20. Someone who decides to avoid sex is called a celibate or volcel.Wiklund, Maria. "The misogyny within the manosphere. A discourse analysis in a Swedish context." (2020).

Culture
Abstaining from sex before marriage can be called chastity. In some countries, it is illegal to have sex before marriage. Many religious and ethical systems forbid sexual activities between a person and anyone other than a spouse. These  include most denominational variations of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Other legal systems and societal norms  can promote abstinence. People who are abstinent even though they do not want to be are sometimes called incels or TFL (true forced loneliness).MacDonald, D.K. (2016) Involuntary Celibacy: Causes and Treatments. Retrieved from http://dustinkmacdonald.com/involuntary-celibacy-causes-treatments/The Love-Shy Survival Guide, p 14, 2009, Talmer Shockley One form of sexual abstinence is fapstinence, avoiding masturbation.Wilson, Clare. "The truth about porn." (2016): 20-21.

Reasons
People may choose to practice abstinence for other reasons. A common reason is because of the person's religious or philosophical beliefs. When done for religious reasons, it is called celibacy. Other people may choose abstinence in order to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. When someone is abstinent from sex but they don't want to be, its sometimes called incel, short for involuntary celibacy.

Related pages
Chastity
Fornication
Asexuality

References

 Other websites 
 Chastity in Catholic Encyclopedia — a Christian view on chastity

Category:Human sexuality
Category:Religious ethics
Category:Contraception