Stigma following sailor's refrain (7)
I believe the answer is:
abstain
'refrain' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'stigma following sailor's' is the wordplay.
'stigma' becomes 'stain' ('stain' can be a synonym of 'stigma').
'following' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'sailor' becomes 'ab' (abbreviation for able seaman).
'stain' put after 'ab' is 'ABSTAIN'.
(Other definitions for abstain that I've seen before include "Refrain from doing something" , "'Refrain from, voting or eating, say (7)'" , "Withhold one's vote" , "not come down on either side" , "Give backing to" .)