52 Copyright 2023 Marline E. Pearson Decide, Don’t Slide, Into Sex The more you define a personally meaningful context and timing for sex for yourself, the more you decide for yourself your boundaries, the more you decide how you want to pace any intimate involvement, and the more you plan for the choices you make, the likelier you are to achieve your goals. Reflect on all you’ve learned that can help you in your sexual decision-making. (For example: I will wait for the love chemicals to settle a bit before getting too involved I will be upfront about my values, my boundaries, and how I want to pace things I will pay attention to how I am treated, how we communicate and handle differences consider the 6 parts of intimacy, we will agree to take responsibility to avoid STDs/HIV and/or pregnancy and follow one of the pathways to success, discuss our answer to Getting on the Same Page). What are your decisions? Spell out your intentions. How will you know if you’re on the same page? Avoiding STIs and/or Pregnancy, if Sexually Involved Testing: Have you both been tested and shared results? Condom use: Do you have agreement to use correctly and consistently to reduce your risks? Form of birth control and schedule for taking/using: Same Page: Are you and your partner on the same page and both taking responsibility? Describe how you will work as a team to reduce your risk for STIs/HIV and or avoid pregnancy and honor the principles of sexual consent on an ongoing basis. Sample Do Not Distribute success planning