In a thread, people, who got back with their exes, share how things work or didn’t work out for them.

1. “It didn’t. Unless it’s a situation where you broke up because of distance or some meddlers, there is a good reason you’re apart because you’re incompatible in some major way. It’s not a good idea. I might still love one of my exes, but those emotions, for me, are not more important criteria for a relationship than working well as a team.” –skirlaug

2. “I first dated my girlfriend in ’97 when we were both at university. I graduated, moved home and we fell out of touch. Fast forward to 2010, I’m in the process of getting divorced and we started talking on Facebook. A few months later, she invited me up for the weekend and shortly after that, we were in a relationship again. We’ve been having an LDR and seeing each other once a month since then but that’s all about to change – the company I work for has opened an office not too far from where she lives, so I’m transferring there and moving into a flat near her.” –Anonymous

3. “I did and we broke up again. It’s way more complex than this is going to sound. There was something FUNDAMENTALLY wrong with the relationship that made us break up the first time. There were some very good reasons it didn’t work out. Sure, when we got back together, there was a honeymoon period where everything seemed better. But, after a while, those fundamental problems surfaced again and the relationship went back down the exact same path it had previously. Some people, even though they want to, are just not meant to be together.” –PeacockDoom

4. “Yep. Now we’re married and happy. If you’re gonna get back with your ex, make sure that the issues that broke you up in the first place are truly resolved. We were broken up for a year and a half and we took it really slow when we started hanging out again, and I think that’s part of why it worked out. We were both more mature and had dealt with our shit by the time we got back together.” –twiggy_trippit

5. “My current boyfriend and I broke up for six months once but we couldn’t even stay away from each other then. He broke up with me because I had a lot of trouble managing my stress and a lot of the time, I would take it out on him but during our time apart, I realized what I had done and did everything I could to rectify the situation. Long story short, if you’re willing to analyze why you broke up and make changes to improve yourself you can make it work.” –collystrings

6. “Yes. Things are much better this time and now we live together. I took things very slowly and was careful to evaluate her for anything which may have caused the same problems before, but everything seemed fine – and it is. Usually, it’s a very bad idea. In rare cases, it succeeds.” –yawnz0r

7. “Yes. We’re on a third attempt and got married last month.” –Anonymous

8. “Dated briefly when we were both 16, mutually broke up after about 4 months. We became friends and realised that we were better as a couple. We got back together and all the old issues came back up so, we split fairly quickly, again. We didn’t even try to stay friends this time. Fast forward about a year and we can tolerate each other’s presence in a group. We are both at a party and were very intoxicated. Separately at first, but as groups move around, somehow we end up drinking together. Needless to say, we hooked up that night. Since that night things have gotten a lot better, we stopped avoiding each other and making snide comments when our mutual friends were around. We hooked up a few more times after that. We’re pretty good friends now and there aren’t any sexual undertones when we hang out. So, it can be done.” –ElektroBoy

9. “I got back with my ex that broke up with me ON my 18th birthday. Horrible decision. We got back together and stayed together for the remainder of my senior year and then she broke up with me the day after graduation. At least, she had the common decency to wait a day this time.” –ImnotZachBraff

10. “Don’t fucking do it! I’m not going to go into my bible-length story today, but my brother said some very wise words to me before I made my mistake. “They’re an ex for a reason.” –ShigglyB00

11. “Yes, I started dating him again to get him out of my system. Now, we’ve been married for 3 years.” –mcdoxieson

12. “NO. 95% of the time, you’re 100% not going to have a good time. You broke up the first time for a reason. Even if now it seems like a stupid reason, there are always underlying issues that sparked it. Also, I speak from personal experience. All it did for me was basically increase and maintain the agony for way longer than it would have lasted if we had just parted ways the first time.” –Raeofsonshine

Do second chances really work?