How do you guys/girls cope with a breakup?

[AlteredEgo]

Drugs just lead to more problems, especially if there were issues with dependency in the past.

When I had a similarly devastating break-up, what helped me was to get a fly new outfit, get my hair and nails done, put on some make-up, and take some sexy pictures of myself. The high from that lasted a few days. In the meanwhile, I put those same sexy pictures (and subsequently more) into a personal ad on a dating site, and fund myself a couple of no-strings sex relationships. There was no lovey-dovey stuff involved. These were guys with whom I sometimes went out for drinks, shot pool, played darts (poorly), bowled, saw movies, but my primary activity with them was sex. Until I was ready for a relationship again, I kept four such friends-with-benefits on my roster at all times. Though I initially found guys online because I really wasn't up to going out to meet guys, and didn't know how to do so anyway, I did eventually start making these sort of friendships the old-fashioned way: by going out and talking to hot guys I encountered wherever I happened to be.

Replacing the sex didn't cure me, but it was a delightful distraction while I figured things out. A book that helped me a lot is called, "How Can I Forgive You?" I could not have moved my life forward without that book.

 

[MercyfulFate]

6 years with my ex, bad stuff happened and we both made awful mistakes. We loved each other, but things just went wrong somewhere. We miss each other now, but we can't date or really do that again.

So, I get sad and upset when something serious ends. I'm still sad about it from time to time but I've moved on, it took a while.

Now I guess I cope by not dating, taking a sabbatical. A few women here and there but nothing special, I can't be vulnerable like that for a while, enough to truly care for someone.