A healthy relationship makes you feel good about yourself and your partner. You have fun together and you and your partner can be yourselves. All relationships are different, but healthy relationships share at least five things in common - the S.H.A.R.E. qualities.

1. Safety: In a healthy relationship, you feel safe. You don’t have to worry that your partner will harm you physically or emotionally, and you aren’t tempted to harm them. You can change your mind about something - like having sex - without being afraid of how your partner will respond.
2. Honesty: You don’t hide anything important from your partner, and can say what you think without fear of being ridiculed. You can admit to being wrong, and you resolve disagreements by talking honestly.
3. Acceptance: You accept each other as you are. You appreciate your partner’s unique qualities, such as shyness or spaceyness, and don’t try to “fix” them. If you don’t like your partner’s qualities, you shouldn’t be with that person.
4. Respect: You think highly of each other. You do not feel superior or inferior to your partner in important ways. You respect each other’s right to have separate opinions and ideas.
5. Enjoyment: A good relationship is not just about how two people treat each other - it also has to be enjoyable. (If it’s not enjoyable, why bother?) In a healthy relationship, you feel energized and alive in your partner’s presence. You can play and laugh together. You have fun.

The opposite of a healthy relationship is an abusive relationship. Abusive relationships revolve around control, fear, and lack of respect. Usually, one partner has control while the other cowers in resentment or fear. Abusive relationships can involve threats, name-calling, blaming, guilt-tripping, jealous questioning, and outright violence.

If you suspect you’re in an abusive relationship, there’s a good chance you are. Perhaps you know deep down that you’d be better off without the relationship but are afraid to leave it. You may depend on your partner’s income, you may fear being on your own, or you may rationalize the relationship as “better than nothing.” In the long run, however, an abusive relationship does far more damage to your self-esteem than the absence of a relationship (and the opportunity to find a healthy one).

You may think you have no options, but you almost certainly do. A social worker and/or counsellor can help you map out a strategy for leaving an abusive relationship and getting your own life back on track. Your doctor or local/regional sexual clinic can steer you toward appropriate counselling services.

Being in an abusive relationship hurts your self-esteem. You owe it to yourself to get out.

The lubrication on condoms varies

Some condoms are not lubricated at all, some are lubricated with a silicone substance, and some condoms have a water-based lubricant. The lubrication on condoms aims to make the condom easier to put on and more comfortable to use. It can also help prevent condom breakage.

Some condoms and lubricants contain spermicide. Spermicides are chemical products that inactivate or kill sperm to prevent pregnancy. Condoms containing the spermicide nonoxynol-9 were previously thought to help prevent the transmission of HIV and other STDs. However, nonoxynol-9 sometimes causes adverse effects, which can facilitate the transmission of HIV. Therefore you should only use condoms and lubricants containing nonoxynol-9 if you are HIV negative and know your partner is too. However, using a condom (even if it contains nonoxynol-9) is much safer than having unprotected sex.

Condoms

come in a variety of shapes. Most have a reservoir tip although some have a plain tip. Condoms may be regular shaped (with straight sides), form fit (indented below the head of the penis), or they may be flared (wider over the head of the penis). Ribbed condoms are textured with ribs or bumps, which can increase sensation for both partners.

It's up to you which shape you choose. All of the differences in shape are designed to suit different personal preferences and enhance pleasure. It is important to communicate with your partner to be sure that you are using condoms that satisfy both of you.

- come in a variety of colours. Some are flavoured to make oral sex more enjoyable. They are also safe to use for penetrative sex as long as they have been tested and approved.

- are made in different lengths and widths. Different manufacturers produce varying sizes.There is no standard length for condoms, they are increasingly made in a range of sizes.

- the width of a condom also varies. Some condoms have a slightly smaller width to give a 'closer' fit, whereas others will be slightly larger.

- whilst condoms are produced in a range of sizes, both length and width, some may not be available in certain countries. However, condoms made from natural rubber will always stretch if necessary to fit the length of the man's erect penis. The brand names will be different in each country, so you will need to do your own investigation of different names.

1. Check the expiration date on the condom package. Throw out the condom and open a new box if the condom has expired.
2. Check for any punctures in the condom/wrapper by feeling the package to see if it contains an air bubble. If there is no air bubble, throw out the condom and try a new one.
3. Carefully tear open the package, making certain not to tear the condom.
4. The condom should go on like a hat, not like a shower cap. Make certain that you place it on so that it unrolls easily down the outside of the penis. You shouldn't need to put your fingers inside the condom to unroll it.
5. Pinch the tip of the condom to remove any air. You want to leave room for the ejaculate when you roll it on the penis.
6. Holding the tip of the condom, begin to roll it down the shaft of the penis. There should be room at the end of the condom, but there should not be any trapped air.
7. Roll the condom the rest of the way down the penis. The condom should be put on after the penis is erect, but before there is any contact between you and your partner.
8. After ejaculation, hold onto the base of the condom while withdrawing your penis from your partner. Carefully remove the condom and dispose of it in the trash. Do not flush the condom down the toilet unless you want to risk a large plumbing bill.