How to Kiss Someone for the First Time

Method 1 of 3: Prepare to Kiss

Make sure your partner is ready even you can ask them if you feel comfortable.

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   Freshen your breath. Having fresh, kissable breath is a major component of having a knockout first kiss. Make sure that you have brushed your teeth and used mouthwash some time before the kiss, or that you chewed minty gum or sucked on a breath mint before the kiss. You can do this an hour or so before -- you don't want your breath to be too minty or it will look like you tried a little too hard to get ready for the kiss.

   • If you had dinner or ate before the kiss, you should avoid ordering any foods that are heavy in garlic, onions, or any intense spices.
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   Set the mood. It's important to share your first kiss in an intimate or romantic atmosphere. Your first kiss may be something you remember for the rest of your lives, so you should make it special. You don't have to bring out a thousand candles or serenade the person, but you should pick the ideal time and place for a kiss.

   • Kiss in the evening. Kissing as the sun is setting or after it has fallen is more romantic than kissing during the day. You'll also feel less shy about your first kiss if you're kissing in the dark.
   • Kiss somewhere private. Pick a private location that is free of distractions or onlookers so you can really focus on your kiss. Pick a secluded park bench, a nice spot near a beach or a lake, or even your own balcony.
   • Look nice. Dress up a little bit to signify that you're about to have a special moment. You don't want to have your first kiss in your gym clothes.
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   Make sure your partner is ready. This is an important point. You can set the mood and prepare your breath all you want, but nothing you do will matter if your partner is not ready for the kiss. Before you share the kiss, make sure your partner has exhibited signs of liking you, whether it's through going on a date, touching you, or even telling you how he or she feels.

   • If your partner keeps gazing into your eyes, touching you lightly, and smiling, then you'll know that she's ready for the kiss.
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   Remember to avoid some kissing pitfalls. Before you get ready for the kiss, you need to make sure to take it slow and to be gentle. If you're too aggressive or rough, your partner will get the wrong message, and the kiss will feel too forced. Here are some things to avoid before you go in for your first kiss:

   • French kissing. Don't immediately shove your tongue in your partner's mouth and leave saliva everywhere. If your partner is bold and is gently touching her tongue with yours, then you can move in for a French kiss, but don't try this in the first few seconds of your traditional kiss.
   • Biting. Nibbling on your partner's lip or even tongue can be a kinky way to spice up your kisses. But if you do this during your first kiss, your partner will be caught off guard and may even jump back.
   • The roaming hands. You should make physical contact with your partner, move your bodies closer, and caress your partner's head or shoulders with your hands. You should not grope your partner in any inappropriate places during your first kiss. This is doing way too much at once, and will come off as sleazy and will make your first kiss feel insincere.
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Method 2 of 3: Kiss

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   Make physical contact. Start moving closer to the person you want to kiss, whether it's by moving closer together if you're sitting down, putting your arm around the person, or brushing away the person's hair. As you start touching the person, hold his gaze to make your intentions clear.

   • Your first kiss will feel more natural if you're already touching the person and comfortable with it. Your hands shouldn't rove to any inappropriate places -- keep it PG.
   • Your physical contact could even start from some light and gentle teasing. You can playfully hit or lightly push the other person, until your actions become more serious.
   • Try making a romantic compliment before you go in for the kiss. Just say, "Your eyes drive me crazy" or "You look so beautiful tonight."
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   Move closer until your faces are just inches apart. Once you've made physical contact, maneuver yourself until your face is just inches away from your partner's face. You should maintain eye contact, and you can even smile a little to show your affection for the person.

   • Move closer until your hips are nearly touching, and use your hands to graze the person's cheeks, hair, or shoulders.
   • One traditional kissing position is when the guy wraps his arms around a girl's waist while she wraps her arms over her shoulders and behind his neck -- you can think of this as the "slow dance" position.
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   Kiss. Once you're in position, there's nothing left to do but kiss. Don't hesitate. If you've both made it this far, then it's clear that you are excited about kissing each other. Gently lean closer and lock lips. Just remember to take it slow. Have your lips touch softly as you feel the person out. Keep your lips just slightly parted, and continue kissing the person for five or ten seconds before letting go.

   • Keep your hands active while you kiss. Use your hands to cup the person's face, stroke his hair, or caress his neck. You don't have to overdo it with the hands. Just make sure your whole body is engaged so your kiss is even sweeter.
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   Pull away. Slowly pull away from the person. Don't abruptly stop the kiss and pull away with your whole body, jumping miles apart from your kissing partner. Instead, maintain physical contact while pulling away and holding your partner's gaze. Keep stroking your partner lightly with your hands to let her know how great the kiss was.

   • Take your time to pull away from physical contact. If you're too abrupt, your partner may think you're not into it.
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Method 3 of 3: React Appropriately After the Kiss

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   Go in for another kiss if it feels right. If you just can't break physical contact or you keep staring in your partner's eyes, then you should keep the kissing train rolling. Lightly stroke your partner's hair or cheek and move in for another kiss. You should still take it slow as you feel the other person out, but you can be a bit more bold and adventurous as your kissing progresses.

   • If it feels right, you can slowly move in for the French kiss. Just make sure your partner is also gently using his tongue so you don't catch him off guard.
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   Don't be disappointed if it doesn't go well. If the first kiss wasn't as good as you expected, don't worry. First kisses are often awkward because both people are still getting to know each other, and your kissing will improve with practice. You can take a break and try another time when it feels right.

   • Even if it doesn't go well, you should still gently pull away from the person and move on. Don't dwell on what happened, and visualize success for your next k

How to Kiss Someone for the First Time

• Have a mint before going in for the kiss.
• Only go as far as you feel comfortable going. Don't do anything you don't want to do.
• Make sure you really know the person.
• If you bump teeth, it's okay, if you love the guy/girl, they'll think it's cute and you can keep on locking.
• If you have really chapped lips, don't kiss. Everyone has chapped lips at one point, so find a better time for kissing.
• Don't put too much chap stic/lipstick, some guys may not want to mess it up. Remember it is only for some guys.
• Brush your teeth and use mouthwash.
• If you hav

How to cut down

How to stop drinking alcohol

If you've made the decision to stop drinking alcohol completely, for health reasons or otherwise, read on for practical tips and advice.

• Practical tips on giving up alcohol
• Potential alcohol withdrawal symptoms

There are lots of reasons why you might want to stop drinking alcohol. Some people need to stop drinking as a result of developing an alcohol related medical condition such as liver disease, or because they start taking medication which reacts badly with alcohol. Others choose to do so for religious reasons, or simply as a move towards a healthier lifestyle.

If you’re thinking about removing alcohol from your life, you should know that you’re not alone. 15% of adults in Britain abstain from alcohol1, with 43% of those who abstain saying they used to drink alcohol but have given up2.

Whatever your reasons, this page gives lots of tips on how to stop drinking alcohol, details of the potential benefits of not drinking, as well as information on the potential alcohol withdrawal symptoms you could experience if you move from drinking heavily, to drinking no alcohol at all.

Practical tips on giving up alcohol

Firstly, if you think you have a serious drinking problem and are experiencing any of the associated symptoms, you should consult your doctor or another medical professional about it as soon as possible. There are also a number of national alcohol support services who you can go to for advice.   

Giving up completely may not be easy – especially if you’ve been a heavy drinker in the past. The following tips and techniques can make it that little bit easier.

Make your intentions knownTell your family and friends that you’re trying to stop drinking alcohol and explain why. This way, you can share your successes with them, and they’ll understand why you’ve started turning down drinks or trips to the pub. 

Frequently reminding yourself and the people close to you why you want to stop drinking can help keep you on track, and may even encourage someone else to give up or cut down with you.

Avoid temptationIn the early stages, it’s a good idea to avoid situations where you may be tempted to drink. This could mean opting out of the weekly pub quiz for a while, or if you tend to drink when eating out, try going to restaurants that don’t sell alcohol, or simply volunteering to drive. Similarly, try to identify the times when you would usually drink and fill the gap with something else. So if you would usually head to the pub after work on a Friday evening, you could organise to meet friends at the cinema, or if you’re giving up alcohol in pursuit of a new, healthier you, why not fill the gap with a weekly exercise class or a trip to the swimming pool to help you wind down?

Identifying your ‘triggers’ is all the more important if you’ve tried and struggled to stop drinking in the past. Try to identify why you were unsuccessful - did you still go to the pub most evenings? Did you explain your reasons for not drinking to your partner? Was alcohol still readily available at home?

Give up or gradually reduce your drinking?If you want to stop drinking alcohol as part of a move towards a healthier lifestyle, cutting down on the amount of alcohol you drink as opposed to giving up alcohol completely can help bring lots of health benefits, and can be significantly easier to sustain. Reducing the amount you drink can also be an effective stepping stone to giving up alcohol completely in the future.

Cutting down doesn’t have to be complicated - if you currently drink every night, try designating a couple of days a week as alcohol-free days. This can soon become habit, the personal challenge helping remove the temptation and perhaps encouraging you to add more alcohol-free days.

Our MyDrinkaware tool can help you track the amount you’re drinking in units, calories and hard cash, and also lets you record days on which you drink nothing at all.

You can read more tips for cutting down at home, or tips for cutting down when out on our site.

Reward progressIt’s important that you acknowledge the fact that making changes to your lifestyle can be difficult and that you reward yourself with something if you are making progress. It's equally important not to be too hard on yourself if you slip up every once in a while.

An easy way to keep track of how you’re doing and keep your motivation up is to give yourself short term goals. Perhaps you could aim firstly for an alcohol-free week, then an alcohol-free month, for example.

If you tend to drink in front of the TV after work, try replacing that glass of wine with something else you enjoy, or treat yourself to some new clothes or a day out with the money you’re saving on alcohol. The cost of alcohol mounts up with surprising speed – you could try putting aside the money you would normally spend on alcohol at home or while out, and spend it on another treat at the end of the week or the month.

Enjoy the benefitsWhether you’re cutting alcohol out of your life completely or cutting down gradually, you may notice a number of improvements to the way you look and feel. Among other things, you might find you have more energy, that you’re sleeping better, or that you’ve lost a bit of weight. In the long term you will also be helping to reduce your risk of developing cancer, liver or heart disease and could lower your blood pressure.

Potential alcohol withdrawal symptoms

Going ‘cold turkey’ or suddenly drinking no alcohol at all can cause serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms if you were drinking heavily before the change.

Dr Sarah Jarvis of Drinkaware’s Medical Advisory Panel points out that "psychological symptoms are very common, and not just if you're a really heavy drinker. You can have short term problems even with relatively low levels of alcohol consumption if you've become used to drinking really regularly”. Psychological symptoms can include irritability, poor concentration, feeling shaky, feeling tired, difficulty sleeping or bad dreams.

Physical alcohol withdrawal symptoms including trembling hands, sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting, palpitations and lack of appetite are less common, but are often a sign that the sufferer was drinking at worrying levels. Severe physical side effects include convulsions, confusion, fever and even hallucinations. If you experience physical withdrawal symptoms of any kind, you should see your doctor as soon as possible.

Your doctor may be able to prescribe medication that can help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and will be able to refer you to a specialist alcohol team for support. They can also offer counselling and psychological support, and can put you in touch with local support groups to help you stay on track.

Read more about alcohol withdrawal symptomsHow to stop drinking alcohol