You need to quit drinking, FG. Seriously, l'm not trying to be a dick, but you say yourself elsewhere that other meds you're on are being compromised by the alcohol you're consuming, so it only makes sense these would be too.

Until you deal with that, every med you take will have contrary effects.

It's public transportation. The bus smells the same way sometimes.

Such is life.

People don't always help their seniors.

Why does it matter if you're blacking out versus throwing up? It doesn't. What does is that you're putting yourself in danger of both nixing the drugs you're taking, and hurting your body further.

Stop. Yes, l get that drinking on top of it all is due to something or another we aren't privy to, but asking a question like this is a red flag for you; you insist on drinking, you continue to take the pills, and while you're obviously trying to get better, you're deliberately sabotaging yourself. So which is it? Do you want to improve, or do you want to hurt yourself further, not knowing what went down in the process? Trust me, l know a little about this, and you want to care for yourself. And remember what happened the next day.

Take your meds, and don't drink. Or do, but don't come looking for someone to tell you it's okay to do both -or explain an obvious symptom- if you really want to get better.

All the answers here are wonderful, and l have very little to add.

However, since you're new to the whole thing, l do think it worth addressing some of the dating etiquette Sphinx said not to worry about too much. Or to elaborate a bit. Or something. Anyway.

ln the straight world, since womens' lib, there's been an ongoing struggle about who pays, because before that, men did. Now, there's all this damn hoopla where the princesses of the world expect men to pay their way all the time, and the rest of the sane women at least offer to pay their own way; sometimes, the men who were raised right by their mamas will insist on it, which is cool though unnecessary. As a gay man, you get to be blissfully ignorant of this concern, so as far as this topic is concerned, my advice is to come prepared to pay for them as well if you like, or for yourself, which seems like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised. The gay community has princesses too. Always be able and willing to go dutch.

As for who picks up who, just meet them there unless they offer to pick you up and that's comfortable for you.

Who decides what happens on the date? ldeally, you can both suggest something and go from there, or trade off if you think there's going to be a second date. lf you have an idea for an activity or dinner spot that you really, REALLY want to take them to, just say, "Hey, l'd really love to show you this/do this with you", and see if they want to share another activity/dinner spot/whatever to round out the date. Sometimes it's fun to make it a surprise (or be surprised by letting them plan the whole thing), but this doesn't always run smoothly if they pick bumper cars and you have no desire whatsoever to ride around and bash into people. For the first couple of dates, it's probably a good idea to know what you're both doing until you know each other and have a better understanding of each others' preferences; that way the date isn't ruined on a technicality or innocent but bad judgment call.

lf it's not going well, just step up to the plate and be honest. By 'not going well', l mean that unless you just HATE each other, there probably just isn't that much chemistry, and that's okay. lt's not necessarily fun, but it's still more ethical to just say, "Hey, l've really enjoyed myself, but l think we're better matched as friends than anything more." lt's up front, and it's far more respectful than lying to them, having a friend give you an 'escape call' with some bullshit excuse that you have to attend to right away (anyone with half a brain knows this one when they see it, and it sucks), or simply leaving them thinking everything went great and another date is happening, and then they never hear from you again. lt's supremely disingenuous and inconsiderate (not that l assume you would do this, but it's worth a mention). But unless you really aren't getting along, leave that bit for the end of the date. lt sucks to get cut short on a date because someone doesn't feel romantically attracted to you, no matter how nicely it's going. As far as what's going to happen at the end of it if it IS going well, that shit will definitely work itself out. But if you're not looking to sleep with them, just let them know that you're interested in the fun making out part when it happens, but you'd like to take your time. Anyone worth his salt will respect you more for saying so.

While l think you'd be perfectly justified in smacking a hood, or giving them the finger -which l did once when a dick in a Ferrari came THIS close to wiping me across his windshield after running a red light- l'm going to go with the assertion that running the risk of being shot or harassed further with a big hunk of metal is probably not the best move.

Take the license plate and report it. Road rage rarely ends well.

l'm not sure what 'I can't say he's been unaccounted for when a hookup might have been happening' means. Could you clarify? Does this mean a hookup initiated by him or someone else on that site, or within an open marriage? l get the feeling it's a monogamous situation, so l'm a bit confused by the wording in general.

Also, it occurs to me that the second part of your sentence where you say the sex has waned lately makes me wonder if this isn't part of what's going on. As Basil pointed out, there's nothing wrong with browsing a site, and if his sexual needs are higher than yours at the moment (l have no idea why the sex life is waning, but you'd know better than l, just thought this might be a possibility), then that's a healthy and innocent way to meet them. However, if he *does* have kinks that he's afraid to bring to your attention for whatever reason, you probably would have found this out eventually anyway, so l second the suggestion that you give him a safe and gentle space to express that, and be open to what might come of it. lf you aren't into kinky, you should consider allowing him the option to watch or view porn or sites where that gives him the fix he needs.

All that said, if the reason the sex is currently ebbing (whether for normal or specific reasons), this discussion certainly can't hurt anything, and may kill two birds with one stone by giving you both a deeper understanding and trust, and bringing the sexy back, depending on where that kink discussion goes. Otherwise, if there *is* a specific reason for the low sex, then it gives you an opportunity to figure out why that is happening, other than a standard ebb and flow, and maybe work on that together. l'd love to hear how it goes. Good luck to you both, and l hope you find a happy and healthy resolution.

l don't think it matters, really. lf that's your personal style, and you like it, do it! l'm a fan of bracelets, and if l can wear more than one together (which l usually can't because they're all so different it would look weird), l would.

That said, if you need to give some away, l'll volunteer! Actually, also, if you work with hemp, maybe we can chat at some point because l have a very simple hemp cowrie shell choker that l've had for years, and the hemp had gotten dirty and parts here and there are breaking that l have to re-tie with twine. l'd be willing to pay you if you could re-do the necklace for me; it's just a matter of threading.

l stripped for a red hot minute back when l was still young and sexy, and my main favorites were Prince, Depeche Mode (though l like the suggestion for the Marilyn Manson cover - nice one), Tainted Love ("Don't touch me, please, l cannot stand the way you TEASE!!" - Oh, yeah.), certain of the sexier Cure songs, and my signature song -which became my signature song because for some odd reason the clientele just loved it- was Twist in my Sobriety by Tanita Tikaram.  lt was a favorite of mine when l was younger so l threw it in there on a whim one day, and boom.  Also, anything by Lords of Acid works beautifully.