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Q

I’ve been single for a couple of years after a five-year relationship ended. I really miss the intimacy of being in a couple. My friends say, “Just go and have a fling”, but I’m not so sure. Is there such a thing as good casual sex?
Anonymous, Scotland

A

It depends what you mean by casual. Picking up a bloke that you don’t know and don’t like and having sex with him is not casual, it’s stupid. Going on a date with a guy and not being sure whether you fancy him until he kisses you and a swarm of butterflies carries you into his bed is not casual, it’s actually the way that most relationships begin. Sex has to start somewhere and, as long as you use contraception and a condom, your risk of contracting anything is negligible. If you’re concerned about ‘giving yourself’ to the wrong guy, you may need to take a risk. If you don’t give a relationship a chance at the beginning, it won’t have a future.