I've been reading many answers and they have been helpful even though I didn't write the questions. This site is wonderful. I especially liked the answer you gave to a student who is beginning a long distance relationship. I have been in one for two months now, and journaling or writing a letter to my boyfriend right before bed helped clear my head so I could sleep. My LDR is long from being over because my boyfriend is in the Coast Guard and I'm in college, but I know others got through it and I can, too. It's always worse at the beginning and right after each visit, but I know if people truly want to stay together and put in the effort, then they will get through it. Good Luck to everyone in a LDR! Thanks for all the answers, Alice!

~Greatful

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(2)
Dear Alice,

While every relationship is obviously unique, I thought I might be able to offer some advice to the person who wrote in this question.

I had a very serious high school boyfriend (we were together for more than three years) that I decided to "take a break" with at the beginning of college. Once I got there, I realized that I was more interested in dating other people than I had previously thought. College gave us the opportunity to grow and realize that we were actually happier apart and better suited to other people ? we're now both in long-term relationships and still good friends.

On the other hand, many people find that college only reinforces the bonds they have with one another. But I have seen so many young men and women simply agonized by the drama swirling around their interactions with a "hometown" honey, and I've seen still more that devote so much time to their old romance that they have little time to cultivate new relationships at school.

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(3)
Dear Alice,

My boyfriend & I have been together for over one year. (I'm 18/F). He just started his JR year in High School, and I'm just starting college! Though we are only 1 yr & 6 months differenced in age, there was a huge step taken after I started college. We love each other very much still, even though our schools are 2 hrs apart. (I live only 1 hr from our hometown, however, which makes it easier.) He doesn't have a car yet (I do), & we both have jobs, which makes it even harder to see each other! There are some times where we will honestly just sob on the phone because we miss & love each other so much, it's often overwhelming, but good to let our emotions out frequently.

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(4)
DEAR ALICE,

I have been reading all of your responses about long distance relationships and they have helped me a lot. My boyfriend leaves for college in the fall and I'm a senior in high school. We have been together for 9 months so it's going to be a bit hard when he leaves. At first I was scared because I wouldn't see him after every class or after school (also I was afraid he might cheat on me), but if all those other people can make it work, and we love each other very much, then we can make it work, also. Thank you so much for all of your answers.

Sincerely, ACE