How do you get back in the dating game after being out for 3 years :/

[driftwood]

Your right. Now its just how do you find them with out going to places that they are only looking for hook ups.

Wherever, whenever, however you meet them, there's always going to be some (prob at least 50%) that are only looking for hookups. I don't claim to have much experience or success with this, but it will help if you let them know early in the game, that you're not up for "doing anything tonight" and probably not on the first date either. When they get the idea, they won't waste any time before moving along. They also won't worry about your feelings when they abruptly change course, but that's where you need to steel yourself ahead of time, and realize that you've just done yourself a favor, and spared your later feelings. No matter how good he looks, if he isn't looking for the same thing you are, it's not worth investing time and (especially) emotion into it.

[MisterTinkles]

How do you get back in the dating game after being out for 3 years :/


I can top that.........

How do you get back in the dating game after 16 years??

[Bowyn Aerrow]

General rule of thumb: Give it a year.

365 days of pigging out, watching TV in your shorts, holding the remote control like the king of the world.

Somewhere along the line you also need to address what you did wrong. Yeah I know, he abused me, cheated on me, murdered the pope - all of the above - still you did stuff as well, and figuring out what it is 'I' did to mess things up usually goes a long way toward not repeating the same mistake.

Then there is the rebound effect, if you don't wait you end up dating your Ex again - yeah I know a different body, but similar qualities that you were attracted to in the Ex will be in the next guy if enough time hasn't passed.

Your whole attitude toward dating isn't just because you just ended a relationship, dating is hard, human emotions, and complex social behaviors plus the whole 'I try hard to impress you so I wear this mask of who I think you want me to be, over who I am.' comes into play.

Dating rules? Only because so many people ask the same questions, so rules were developed to sort of oil the gears. Usually those rules just really don't apply to reality.

Anyway. When the time comes you will be out there locating your next ex to be.

[MisterTinkles]

Im in the Dallas Area. Austin has a bigger community. But still. But if you are not in the middle of it. The outer parts are more nonaccepting

Actually, a lot of people are getting away from the Cedar Springs/Oak Lawn area in Dallas (the "gay" area). Most of the people there now are either young ones who are just getting out in the world, or people who bought homes there a long time ago. Otherwise, its getting ghetto just like the rest of the older parts of Dallas.

The few people I know live in Wylie, Arlington, Fort Worth, and usually in smaller, "quiet" sections of town.

It depends on what you want to be in the "middle" of, as to where you want to live.

I like Frisco, I used to work at the mall there at Foleys.....before Macys bought them out.
Its too expensive for me to live there now. I have to stay where Im at right now.

But even the "gay" parts of Dallas have become nothing but shallow, vain, plastic areas.
Unless you have a job downtown or near the Turtle Creek area, its not worth living down there. Go clubbing, but don't live there. Thats my "2 cents" worth anyway.