OK, maybe not everyone, but it sure feels that way. I can name three people I know who have recently cheated on their significant others. Do I associate with bad people? Not really. I just associate with humans.

Some may cheat out of boredom. Some may be insecure. Some may just like the thrill of finding and trying out someone new. Some may cheat to avoid dealing with their current relationship problems. Whatever the reasons, it happens.

Whether it's a drunken kiss at a bar or a long-term affair, it's all about betrayal that cannot easily be disregarded.

I admit I've been unfaithful a few times in my dating history. It's often about the person not being quite right, my penchant for conquests, a taste of insecurity and the often silly feeling that it doesn't hurt to have a backup if my current relationship fails.

I'm not proud of betrayal, but I also know that people make mistakes, and it's how you handle it that shows what you're made of ... or lacking.

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So after you cheat, what do you do about it?

Call me a coward, but I can never admit that I have cheated, because I don't want to be known as a cheater. OK, so I've done it, but I like to think it doesn't define me.

Sometimes the guilt seems like enough of a punishment. Many out there will jump to say, "Tell him. You can't lie about it. Fess up and move on." However noble it is to reveal your misdeeds, it's the start of a bumpy ride that could be more detrimental than helpful.

My friend Steve slipped one night after too many drinks. He can't blame cheating on his long-term girlfriend on the alcohol -- but it helped explain why he doesn't remember everything that night. But being a stand-up guy (minus the cheating), he told his girlfriend, who was of course devastated.

The next several months were spent with him apologizing and her constantly punishing him. I don't blame her, but ultimately they broke up and it doesn't seem like it was worth the pain. Perhaps it would have been better if he had either told her and broken it off or just broken it off without the dirty details. Or even figured out why he did it and moved on with or without her.

While not telling and moving on may leave your soon-to-be ex in the dark, it may also save him or her some pain. If the relationship is already over regardless of the cheating, it's not worth mentioning on the way out the door, "By the way, I made out with someone else while we were dating." It's enough to tell someone "It's over," and leave.

Sometimes you mess up but still want to be with your current partner. Telling him you cheated seems completely disastrous. For my friend Joanna, telling is not an option.

"I think honesty about feelings is much more important than actions," she says.

If you cheat but still love him, is it worth destroying his trust for you when your mistake was really a mistake?

SURVEY Have you ever cheated? Yes. If I'm not caught, there's no harm. Yes, I slipped, but I confessed. No, but I've been tempted. No, I would never do that. I avoid serious relationships so it's not a problem. Results | Disclaimer

Many say, "Wouldn't you want to know?" making it seem completely unfair to keep your infidelities secret. I agree, but I cannot help avoid the double standard. I understand why I messed up, but that doesn't mean I'd be understanding of his wrongdoing.

If he has gone astray, I want to know, basically because I don't want to play the fool. I don't want to be the last to know that the man I am devoted to is devoted elsewhere.

That's not to say I cannot work through a problem, which cheating can sometimes signal. But basically, "Stand By Your Man" does not work for me. I have been cheated on, and when it happens it is unthinkable to stay with that person, who I once considered a friend.

I think it all depends on why one cheats. For me, kissing someone else can be a way to push myself to break it off, and that was that. Yet cheating throughout a relationship is basically living another life, which is no relationship I'd like.

As you can tell, I struggle with this one because really I believe that if I truly love someone I am not going to cheat. To do so means the person isn't right for me, therefore telling or not telling is not really the issue. I believe that whoever I date deserves honesty, but I also believe that if I can't be honest then I don't respect him and therefore shouldn't be dating him.

People make mistakes. But it is probably best to move on from a relationship that allows you or even encourages you to look outside. Take time to look inside and figure out why one person is not enough.

Laura Lewis is an adventurous 20-something who knows how to make the most of being single. Her column appears every other Thursday.