Description
Abstinence is the act of never having sex but some will argue that it is having no form of sex what so ever, while others say its not having vaginal intercourse.
Effectiveness
If you don't have vaginal intercourse it is impossible for you to get pregnant, but if you have oral and anal sex you can still catch some STDs/STIs.
Down side?
Well no sex means you cannot enjoy sex, if you are simply avoiding vaginal sex then you can enjoy aspects of sex but you can also still get STDs/STIs.