1. “This is what I do any time I find myself in a tempting situation. I think about all the amazing women in my life: my mom, my grandma, my sister, and some of my best female friends. I don’t want to disappoint the women I respect, and I know they wouldn’t approve of me cheating, so I don’t do anything stupid.”

— Wallace, 28

2. “I consider anyone who cheats a total loser who lacks self control. All those people caught in that Ashley Madison hack? Losers. I’m no caveman, so when I feel attracted to a woman who’s not my girlfriend, I suppress whatever dirty thoughts surface by reminding myself that I’m better than that. Then I get on with my day.”

— Zane, 33

3. “I think the problem with guys who cheat is that they have no imagination. If you can fantasize, you don’t need to act on all the horny urges running through your mind. You can envision yourself getting humped by the cute hippie chick seated across from you on the subway instead of bumping uglies in real life. That’s how I manage.”

— Hussain, 26

4. “All I have to do is remember the expression on my girlfriend’s face the first and only time she caught me cheating. She was so fucking crushed, it killed me. And then she managed to forgive me. I don’t want to do that to her ever again. She deserves so much better.”

— Simon, 32

5. “I was a serial cheater for a long time. So when I pledged fidelity to my girlfriend of three years, I had to go cold turkey. No strip clubs. No Porn. No nights out with the boys. It’s working so far. Been eight and a half months. Some people can’t handle a taste without bingeing, and I’m one of them. You really have to know yourself, I think.”

— Carl, 29

6. “My fiancée and I had a daughter last year and ever since, I’ve never even considered cheating for more than a millisecond. I realize that having a little girl shouldn’t be required to stop a man from cheating, but that’s honestly how I handle the idea of infidelity. Cheating on a woman is a horrible thing to do. I don’t want any man who dates my daughter to cheat on her, so I don’t cheat, either. I don’t want to be a hypocrite.”

— Sanjay, 28

7. “Whenever I’m out without my girlfriend and I meet a hot girl, I let myself flirt a little. I definitely hit on other women and I even play single sometimes, which isn’t the greatest thing, maybe, but I know when to stop. I know when to pull out, you could say, before I get myself into any trouble. So far my record is totally clean in my current relationship, and I think it’s because I give myself the bandwidth to engage in some ego boosting banter, but without ever going too far. ”

— Kevin, 30

8. “I cheated on my girlfriend a few times over the course of our first five years together. I’m not proud of it, but I never got caught and I don’t think I’m a bad guy. Last month I had this epiphany, though, and I decided to cut that shit out altogether. So what did I do? I proposed. I believe in the sanctity of marriage and I think being a husband will help me walk a straighter path. My parents have been together for forty years and I look to them as an example to live by.”

— Sam, 31

9. “I haven’t been physical with another woman since the day my long-term girlfriend and I agreed to be exclusive. But I do have a work spouse and we have the kind of relationship that might be construed as inappropriately intimate to outsiders. The thing is, that secondary relationship keeps me sane. I get the satisfaction of flirting with another woman without getting naked with her. Truthfully, if my girlfriend had a work spouse of her own, I wouldn’t mind. Whatever helps us both get by.”

— Ted, 25

10. “I only sleep with other women when I absolutely have to. I know what it sounds like, but hear me out. My girlfriend travels a lot—like, six months at a time. She has a big job and I support her career. But it’s tough to be alone for long stretches, and she understands that. She’s the one who suggested I explore other sexual, non-emotional relationships while she’s away. When my girlfriend’s around, it’s easy not to stray. When she’s gone, I take a few dips outside the main pond, but only because she gave me permission to explicitly.”

— Kyle, 27

11. “When it comes to sex, my girlfriend is kind of like the overachieving Tracy Flick character from that movie Election. She’s crazy dedicated to keeping me satisfied sexually. I don’t think a day’s gone by in the last six months that I didn’t get a blowjob or get laid. I don’t even have to think about cheating because she works so damn hard to meet my needs. Did we end up together for that reason? Possibly. But I’d like to think I could commit to someone no matter how sexual she was, as long as we were in love.”

— Ty, 25

12. “Cam girls pretty much saved my relationship. I’m a really sexual guy, but I’m in love with a woman who doesn’t like sex that much. She never wants to do it, and I’ve tried everything to get her in the mood without any success. I love my girlfriend, and I don’t want to be unfaithful, but abstinence definitely doesn’t work for me. So I get what I need by interacting with pros across screens. I watch strangers strip and masturbate, mostly, and my girlfriend knows about it. It’s an expensive habit, but way cheaper—not to mention safer and more respectable—than hiring a hooker.”

— Peter, 27

13. “Six months into dating, I caught my girlfriend making out with another guy. It felt so shitty to watch that go down, but it also made me realize just how strongly I felt about her. I confronted her about the whole thing the next day and suggested we either promise not to do that to each other ever again, or break up. She balled and apologized and we hugged it out. It’s been four years now. I’m a man of my word, and I don’t want to make the woman I love feel like crap, so I’m good.”

— Len, 23

14. “I need sex daily. That’s a fact. I found myself an equally horny chick to stop myself from being the guy who’s always stepping out on his girl. We have sex constantly. Genius move on my part, I’d say.”

— Jared, 24