Dealing with a Cheating Friend: Effects on Friendship

How To Deal With A Friend Who Has Cheated, And The Effect On Your Friendship

Discover how to handle a friend who has cheated and the impact it can have on your friendship. Learn how to make the right decision and protect yourself.

Dealing with a Cheating Friend: Effects on Friendship

So, your friend had an affair

So, you have a close friend living in your area, and you just found out that they cheated on their partner. If you happen to be of the honest personal variation (which, if you're reading this, we assume that you are), you might be completely appalled by the idea of someone so close to you being capable of such a dastardly deed. However, humans tend to be able to surprise one another at every curve in life, and this applies to your best friend having the capacity to cheat, as well. If your friend has had an affair and you are made aware of it, it's time to first take a deep breath, step back from the situation, and analyze it accordingly.

Adult flings provide strong temptation

It's important in this situation to keep in mind that adult flings are a very tempting thing to think about, and sometimes, people just can't resist their call. It's unfortunate, really, but that's just how it is. We are quite proud of you, for being strong enough not to succumb to the urge to cheat. It takes a lot of self-restraint to say no to an attractive person who wants to sleep with you while you're in a relationship. Unfortunately, your friend was not able to resist this carnal urge, and you now find yourself in the position that you're in. It's really a tough position to be in, and we have full sympathy for you here. You just have to take some time to figure out what you're going to do. There are a lot of ways to mentally approach this situation, all valid in their own right. You must acknowledge how easy it is for people to be tempted into cheating, so you must give your friend some degree of the benefit of the doubt. However, that said, it's also equally important to remember that cheating is one of the worst things people can do in life, and you really need to ask yourself if you intend on associating with someone who is a big cheater.

Committing adultery is wrong

At the end of the day, committing adultery is just the wrong thing to do, and there's really no way to escape this fact. Although you have done the good job of avoiding adultery for your entire life, doesn't mean that everyone else around you is being so noble. It's unfortunate that your friend has entered the dark side of this situation, but that is now the hard fact of the matter. You need to gauge whether or not it would be beneficial to you to keep spending time with your friend now that you know they have cheated. Forget about how long you've known them, and how deeply your friendship is tied together; what matters how is that they have surprised you in the worst possible way by actually cheating on someone who trusted them. Although this situation does not necessarily affect you directly, it still provides you with some information that you need to act upon immediately so as not to let it drag out.

If they're unfaithful to their partner, they might be unfaithful to you

What's important to keep in mind here is that, if they are unfaithful to their romantic partner, they just might be unfaithful to you as well. In fact, they are quite likely to be unfaithful to you. There's really no other way to get around this fact. In order to cheat, a person must first get their mind accustomed to the idea of behaving in dodgy ways in the first place. That's the only way that cheating is possible, after all. The thing is, cheating is not the only dodgy thing that your partner is capable of, and you know this as soon as you found out that they have cheated. Do you want to be wronged in the future, just like their partner? Do you want to be hurt and betrayed by someone you trust? Maybe it's best to just stop trusting this friend altogether, and effectively leave the relationship.

Should you keep your cheating friend around?

Is a cheating friend worth keeping around? This is a really, really hard decision to make, and we definitely don't envy you for having to make it. Rather, our sympathies go out to you for being in this tough position. You have a lot of positive associations tied to your friendship with this person, and it's tough to have to leave all of those good memories behind. However, the fact is that they cheated on their partner and this is affecting you, so you need to make a decision. Should you stay, or should you go? We can't make the decision for you, but we urge you to go with your gut; by doing so, you can't help but make the right decision. Consider everything that we wrote down for you here, and make your move. Good luck, and be strong.