As a single girl, there are a lot of different things you can do to blow your shot at a second date. Maybe you drank too much and started rambling about the monkeys running Congress, or maybe you got food poisoning and made a mess all over yourself and your date. Maybe, after a few margaritas, you went into explicit detail about just how big of an ass your former boyfriend is. Either way, you’re setting yourself up for a silent phone the next day.

One of the biggest turnoffs for a guy is a girl that is over emotional. Nothing scares a guy away like a girl who talks about all of the bad things in her life on the first date. This just shows him that you can’t keep your composure for one night, so how are you supposed to hold yourself together and be cheery during a long relationship?

Also, you should try to keep a little bit of dignity about you. Don’t throw yourself at him the first night. Sure, you may find yourself very attracted to him, and he might have done and said all the right things, but that is a very unhealthy way of dating, and it will almost never earn you a second date with a grown man. If you were to sleep with him on the first date, what’s stopping him from thinking that you do this with every guy? While a young guy may not be too deterred by this, the odds are that a more mature man will not find this attractive or healthy in the least.

Finally, we come back to drinking. Everyone loves a good drink, and it is a surefire way to loosen you up enough to talk freely and expressively without letting the jitters prevent you from showing the real you. However, after six Manhattans and two vodka tonics, you’re most likely to start slurring your words, making wild hand gestures, ranting about strange and emotional things, and sleeping with a guy you just met. Don’t get me wrong, have a drink. Just watch your intake. Especially because you should drive yourself to your date instead of having a stranger drive you to your house.