@nailpolishfanatic You’re right, there are a lot of douchey guys out there, but you’re only 18 and hopefully you haven’t dated more than 4 or 5 guys in 2 years (I always put the starting age at 16, because at least in the US, that’s when most girls are allowed to start dating).
Where did you find/meet the other guys (who turned out to be douche bags)? Where you look for guys can make a big difference in the quality of guys you find. For me, I would never consider going to an online dating site to find a guy. It’s one dimensional and not always true, what you are reading or seeing (just like with Fluther or any other online site). I need to meet a guy, in a real setting, preferably in a setting where there is some kind of common interest, whether it be a hobby, or a professional setting. And I need quite a bit of time to get to know people before I would ever consider dating them. Talking online does not constitute getting to know someone. It’s a facade (no offense to our own @Facade) LOL.
And getting back to what you said about your aunt and her recovering alcoholic boyfriend. You mentioned that because of her experience, that is why you are willing to give this guy a chance. You need to know that their experience is an exception and not the rule. Most alcoholics struggle all of their lives to stay clean and sober. Plus the fact that his formative years, he was a drunk, means that he has not matured in the natural way.
Your folks sound very kind and supportive, but if I was your parent, I would be horrified and terrified that you would even consider dating a fellow that has so much baggage. You’re only 18.
Why not look for someone closer to your own age? At 18, unless you’ve been something of a floozy (which I’m sure you are not) you can’t have experienced too many fellows. And since the ones you have experienced have been duds, that just tells me that you’re probably looking for love in all the wrong places and possibly setting up standards (maybe hot looking guys) that don’t serve you well.
I can see why you are attracted to this older, former alcoholic. He is looking for someone “kind and understanding” (which you are, and he’s told you so) and he’s looking for someone who’s “non-judgemental” (which you have been) so you feel like you are “helping” him. Maybe you are, but I don’t think he’s going to be of any help to you.
Andthink about the word judgemental, people on Fluther are always asking outrageous questions and then asking for us not to judge them. Everyone judges everyone else, just not in the same ways. That is why the terms “good judgement” and “bad judgement” exist. Try to avoid having bad judgement, because it will bite you a*s in the end.
You need to figure out what you really want out of a relationship and then go from there. If you want somebody who shares common interests and values with you, then you need to get off the computer and start living your dream. What are your interests? Whatever they are, join clubs or go to places where males and females are engaged in those interests.
Take your time and really get to know people. While I agree with @wundayatta that intimate physical relationships are part of a healthy relationship, I do not agree that having sex right away helps you to get to know someone. Why do you feel the need to have sex so soon (you said not within a month)? But why not wait for 6 months or a year, until you really know the other person? I think that any guy who thinks you are “playing a game with them” is not someone worth bothering with. If you explain to any guy you are interested in, that you want and need to get to know them fully before becoming physically intimate with them, you can weed out the douche bags pretty easily. Most guys will run away, immediately, and that should tell you something.
Also don’t settle for someone who has a lot of baggage of issues because that stuff will just become baggage and issues for you. Also, never pick a guy who is a project. People are who they are and they don’t need other people trying to change them, or being their nursemaid or their martyr. And you shouldn’t be a woman who has to put up with someone who has serious issues. Like I said before. Give him ten years of sobriety and then talk to him about a potential relationship. By that time, hopefully you will have found a decent guy that doesn’t have a boot-ful of baggage.
I’m sorry this is so long, but I’ve seen too many good friends and even myself get sucked into less ideal situations because we thought we could help these troubled souls. In the end, we sort of became troubled souls ourselves.