One-night stand: do's and don'ts

Do...

• Be honest One-night-stands can be great fun, if no-strings-attached sex is what both of you were looking for. Be honest about what you want from the very beginning. With yourself and your potential fling. It's too late to bring up the subject the morning after.If you just ended a relationship and had your heart broken, fun sex may look like a good idea, but it's really not. If you’re not sure, just try to imagine what you would feel like if the stranger were to leave in the wee hours of the next morning without as much as a goodbye. If that thought makes you sad, try to see if dating is a better option right now before jumping on a single steamy night.
• Be safe Using condoms is a must! Even if the woman uses another birth control option. It's the only way to protect yourself from STDs. Let's be honest, the chances of a one-night stand with a virgin are rather slim, and you really don't want to end your hot night with a trip to the sexual health clinic or the pharmacy for emergency contraception.Also, make sure that you let a good friend know what you are up to and where you are going. Disappearing with a stranger may be risky, so it's better that someone you trusts knows what you are up to.
• Have an exit strategyTell your sex partner that you have an early morning meeting before hitting the sack. That way, you can openly get up in the morning and leave, instead of waiting for the right moment to make an exit. Sneaking out is risky, too. You never know what you might forget. Imagine having to go back and ask to have the front door unlocked for you – just awkward!In case you actually decide that you do want to spend more time together, you can say the meeting was cancelled. Or you could always exchange phone numbers and get together again later.

Don't…

• Drink too much alcohol - When it comes to one-night stands, booze is often involved. Which is fine, but don't have sex with someone you don't know if you are entirely drunk. Because throwing up all over someone is just embarrassing. And it’s awful to wake up next to somebody who looked nice through ‘beer goggles’ but turns out to be far less attractive the morning after. Importantly being under the influence of drink or drugs has an impact on your judgement and may make you do stupid things, like having sex without a condom. A big no-no!
• Have regrets - Almost half the women who had a one-night stand felt bad the morning after, researchers found. They said they felt used or bad about themselves because they were 'easy'. Only 20% of men felt that. But women shouldn't feel bad. It’s apparently in their genes to have one-night stands. Nature wants them to 'collect' lots of healthy sperm, so they can have healthy babies. So don't feel bad, blame nature. But maybe next time, you should really think hard whether no-strings-attached sex is what you really wanted! And by the way: women don't have one-night stands in order to get a guy hitched, but because it makes them feel flattered and attractive, researchers say.
• Leave things behind - Make sure that you have all of your belongings when you leave the place! It would be weird and awkward having to come back to ask for and search for your bra, your wallet or your phone. And please don't leave anything behind on purpose either, just so you can call and have another forced get-together. That makes you look desperate. If you really want to see your fling again, leave a thank you note with your phone number.

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