What Restrictions Are on You When You Wear a Purity Ring?

If you’re a girl who’s considering wearing a purity ring, you may find yourself wondering what your promise really entails. The truth is that no one can provide you with a laundry list of activities that you’re giving up when you wear a promise ring. This is because only you can decide what a promise ring means to you. The ring is simply a symbol of your own moral choices, so the restrictions that are placed on you are ones that you select.

Some of the things that purity rings may symbolize to a girl include:

- A decision to not have sex until married. This is the most popular meaning of a purity ring. For most girls, it means not having any type of intercourse until their wedding night, though others believe that it only relates to having vaginal intercourse.

- A choice to not have sex again until married. Some girls who have made mistakes with promiscuity in the past opt to wear purity rings as a promise to not have sex again.

- A pledge to not have a serious relationship until after graduation. While this meaning is not as common, a small number of girls choose to wear a purity ring to symbolize a commitment to focus on school and friendships until after high school.

- A commitment to not using drugs or alcohol. As the National Institute of Drug Abuse explains, drug and alcohol use among teens is a growing problem in the United States. Some girls view abstaining from the use of these substances as a part of purity.

In short, putting on a purity ring doesn’t suddenly impose specific rules upon you. When you wear a ring, you decide what the details of the promise you’re making and are responsible for keeping that promise to yourself.