I know it’s everybody’s favorite thing to do, have a few drinks on the first date.

It loosens you up a little bit.

It takes the edge off.

It makes you feel like you can speak better.

It allows you to relax and to get into the date.

I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard those and many things before. But it also does things to you and makes you regret and forget.

Let’s be honest here: how many times have you gone out on a date, had a little too much alcohol, and then ended up sleeping with somebody you didn’t want to sleep with?

After the heat of passion after the two of you are done, you’re laying in bed, the alcohol starts wearing off, and you start realizing what you’ve done.

You get into your head and you start over thinking and thinking about why you did this.

You go home and you do the walk of shame.

And then the very next day, you’re having conversations with friends, talking all about what you should have done the night before. You go into analysis by paralysis mode.

You go back into the re-engagement campaign of the night before.

You seek out advice, you Google things, and you think to yourself: “will this human being want to see me again?” because you showed up and had sex maybe a bit too early.

A lot of the times when you have alcohol on a date, you show a side of you that you don’t normally show. The dangers of drinking alcohol on a date is that they’ll expect to see that buzzed drunken person on a regular basis.

Who doesn’t like the fun, buzzed wine girl or the fun, buzzed beer man.

To me, going out on a date is just gathering information.

If I’m gathering information, I want to be sober for that.

I want to listen carefully. I want to get to see somebody’s real personality, not their relaxed alcohol side.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a lot of people have different personalities when they’re buzzed and liquored up than they do when they’re sober and themselves.

Not only that, when I’m out on a date, I really just want to start seeing who somebody is. I want to start learning about them.

I want to know who they are, because I’m dating to meet somebody. And I don’t want to fall for the drunk, fun person. I want to get to know the real person. The person that truly is the one that you’re going to have a relationship with, because you’re not going to have a relationship with a fun, drunk girl, with a fun, drunk boy.

If you wanted that type of relationship, then I strongly suggest that whenever you hang out, you just bring a bottle of wine along with you.

Oh, wait a second. I’ve dated women like that, who were constantly always drinking wine while we’re together.

I’m not a drinker.

I’m not against everything in moderation.

But I’m strongly about when you’re getting to know somebody, to keep it really simple, walks, talks.

Having a smoothie.

Sitting and having a cup of coffee.

Just sitting and really getting to know one another. The wining and dining doesn’t necessarily bring out the exact person you’re going to date. So I strongly suggest no more wining and dining. Just talking and gathering information.