I t’s last call at the bar and your eyes are starting to glaze over. You look to your left and there is a semi-cute guy wearing a baseball cap talking to you, but you can’t really focus on the conversation. You finish up your last drink so that you won’t waste the $4.00 you spent on the micro-brew (not including the mandatory $1 tip to the bartender) and you slowly start to realize that you are faced with a decision:

Should you go home with the semi-cute guy next to you or not?

Your mind starts wandering and you forget the long grocery list you have for requirements for “the perfect guy”. You try to remember which company he works for or if he lost his job during the recession, but you can’t quite seem to remember. You are about 93% positive that his name is Brad, but it could be Brett or Brian.

In any case, the bar is closing and it’s time to decide.

What do you do?

The conservative advice is to call a taxi (or have your helpful non-drinking friend take you home) and exchange numbers just in case, but sometimes you might want more. Maybe it’s been a while since you had sex with a partner, maybe you are lonely, or maybe it just seems like a good idea.

Before you go home with a guy and have what will hopefully be great sex, there are a few things to keep in mind.

• If you do sleep with this guy and are hoping for a long-term relationship with him, you need to remember that is a one-night stand is all that is being offered at this point in time. If you are really not comfortable with one-night stands, don’t bother. It’s something that you have to know for yourself, and if you are one of the hopeless romantics thinking that this will turn into something more, just remember that the odds are not in your favor.

• If you do decide that you are up for a one-nighter, be sure that you have birth control, just in case he doesn’t. This means either you are on the pill, have a condom with you, or some kind of preventive device. Remember that you don’t know this guy and don’t know if he has any STD’s, so a condom is definitely your best bet. No matter how good the sex might end up being, it’s not going to be worth an STD.

• Be comfortable with yourself. If you feel awkward about it or unsure, think about how awkward or unsure you will be when you wake up for the “Walk of Shame” in the morning-it’s not fun.

• And, last, and probably most importantly, let your friends know where you are going when you leave- don’t just take off -a. so they don’t worry and b. so they know where you are.