Thoughts about HIV dating etiquette
Dating with HIV/AIDS
Thoughts about HIV dating etiquette
Dating with HIV/AIDS can be one of the most challenging social experiences of your life. You may have an illness that will in all likelihood require life long medication and monitoring, but this doesn't mean that you need to be alone. If you are an HIV positive man you can still enjoy a loving and intimate relationship as long as you behave in a responsible manner. So what exactly is the proper dating etiquette for an HIV positive man? Should you be up front when you first meet someone? Should you bring it up on your first date? Or should you wait until you realize that you and the person you are dating are going to become intimate? These are difficulty questions to answer, but they are questions that you need to take seriously. Any responsbile adult will realize that you must disclose the fact that you are HIV positive with anyone that you are planning to be intimate with. This will allow your partner to make an informed decision, and help you to practice safe sex to reduce the risks to them.
The most difficult decision you have to make if you are dating with HIV/AIDS is when to tell the other person that you have this disease. The truth is that it's best to be up front and honest as soon as possible. While you run the risk of scaring off someone that you are interested in, explaing your situation later in a relationship can cause serious problems. Telling someone early on that you have HIV doesn't mean that it has to be the first conversation that you have. There is nothing wrong with spending a little time getting to know them. Explore where you think things might go with this person, and if you feel that there might be a possibility of a relationship then you should disclose that you have HIV. Whether this is a conversation that you have shortly after meeting, or on a first or second date is a decision that you will have to make based upon your own unique circumstances. Hopefully the person you are interested in will realize that by taking the precautions you can greatly minimize the risk that they are exposed to. Above all else make sure that before you have any type of intimate contact with the person you are dating that you tell them about your HIV positive status. Dating with HIV/AIDS might be a challenge, but it is a challenge that is worth taking on. You deserve to be happy, and for most of us that means sharing our lives with someone that we care about. Dating with HIV/AIDS is something that you don't have to be afraid to do. As long as you are responsible, and share your HIV status with your partner before you are intimate there shouldn't be any problems. While you might be rejected because of your honesty, the truth is that rejection is a chance that anyone takes when pursuing a relationship. Dating with HIV/AIDS may pose difficulties that you are not accustomed to facing, but in the end if you find someone that you love it is worth it.