There are several reasons why having casual sex is right for someone. It provides a sexual release without the emotional baggage, and that can be invaluable to busy professionals or married people frustrated with their humdrum sex life.
If you want casual sex, you can always sign up to an adult dating site site for a one night stand. However, that can involve a degree of groundwork every time you want to hook up. Alternatively, you can make an ongoing arrangement with someone for regular, casual sex. If this is your preferred option, you have two options: a fuck buddy or a friend with benefits. And to choose the right option for you, you need to know the difference between the two.
The names say it all, really. A fuck buddy is an acquaintance you fuck regularly. While you know this person, you don’t know them intimately. Details about your private lives are left at home. You can have a laugh, but you probably don’t know where one another lives. In most cases, fuck buddies meet for the specific purpose of having no-strings sex. Once the sex has finished, you will both go your own way, on the understanding that you will hook up soon for another session.
A friend with benefits, however, is someone with whom you already have a personal relationship. While you’re not romantically involved, you have been friends for some time. You might both be sex starved, which is why you both agreed to see to one another’s sexual needs. Throughout your sexual relationship as friends with benefits, you continue your relationship outside the bedroom, but you both agree that there is no romance or future involved.
As you’ve met your fuck buddy for the sole purpose of having casual sex, you have nothing to lose if the arrangement breaks down. All you need is human sexual contact, so you arrange to have it with the same person instead of going through the hassle of arranging a meeting every time you get horny. If things end, you can simply move onto the next person.
But by arranging sexual encounters with an existing friend, you’re putting that friendship in jeopardy. Sex is always an intimate experience, and when you have a relationship with the person, things can get complicated. You have to take into account each other’s feelings, and there is always the risk of falling in love. Of course, this may not be a bad thing, as many relationships start this way. But if things go wrong with the arrangement, you risk losing a good friend forever.
You’re far more likely to fall in love with a friend than with a sex buddy. You already know your friend’s personality, their likes, dislikes and preferences. If you’re not ready for love, this could prove to be a problem. Also, what happens to your friendship if you fall in love and your friend doesn’t feel the same way. That could spell the end to your entire relationship. Sex and love are often intrinsically linked, and it would be foolish to think otherwise. If you want to avoid love muddying the waters of your friendship, stick to a fun friend.
When you have sex with a friend, you will need to be extra respectful to their feelings, and you will need to commit to the arrangements you make — otherwise you could be putting your friendship at risk. You can’t just have sex then simply go home; you will need to be there for your friend afterwards. This might become a little awkward. With a fuck friend, you can simply do the deed and be on your merry way. You don’t need to worry about feelings and emotions, as being fuck buddies is all about the sex. Above all, friends with benefits will feel like you’re in a relationship, which is probably something you’re trying to avoid if you’re searching for casual sex.
While there are key differences between a fuck buddy and a friend with benefits, there is one very significant similarity. Both types of relationship are meant to involve casual sex, without exclusivity. At the very beginning of the arrangement, you should both agree that sex with other people is going to happen. Also, you shouldn’t have to ask permission before you go ahead and fuck someone else. If you and your friend with benefits start getting jealous when sex with other people is raised, it could be time to re-evaluate - you might just be straying into relationship territory.