Compare the "friends with benefits" with older traditional practices.

When I was of an age to have an interest, the typical pattern was to date as many persons as possible of the applicable sex, and attempt to discern which were willing and which were not. This meant a continual succession of person about whom you knew relatively little except that their standards were sufficiently low that they'd go somewhere with you.

A significant hazard was that the ones willing quite likely were willing with others, and hence quite likely to expose you to STDs, or were willing because of "personality quirks" that made them "undesirable except for sex."

If one is able to find a "friend" whose "standards of conduct" are reasonable observed and are responsibly adult, and if both are willing to participate, it seems quite reasonable for them to do so. Having such a friend quite likely should significantly reduce the "need" for either to have random "one-nighters," with a significantly reduced exposure to "random harm."

The request that the friend report sexual activities with others needn't mean giving details of the acts and performances. It is instead a necessary part of the "friends with benefits" agreement, since having such a friend is for the purpose of having a sexual outlet with minimal exposure to the risks attendant to being promiscuous. The "reporting" is because you may want to defer further activities until any transmissible problems can be ruled out, or in the case of a sudden and significant change in behavior it may be in your best interest to "cease benefits" permanently.

Friends come and go, and (just like with marriages) there are no guarantees. There is the possibility that the "friendship" will outlast the "benefits" or it may be the other way around. The is also the possibility that another kind of relationship may eventually be grow from it.

The point emphasized by the few I've known who have "had a friend" of this sort is that as long as both friends act responsibly it's a hell of a lot safer than playing the field.

That seems like quite an adult and responsible sort of behavior to me, compared to what we elders of the tribe would consider the "traditional pursuit games."

Of course, a determined fool can muck up any good idea, and it's not unusual for people to "claim the name and cheat the game." No specific results can be guaranteed, but it seems like a fairly rational game for those inclined to seek sex but willing to play fairly in this kind of arrangement.

Of course I can't say what I might have done if this game had been invented while I still had the inclination to play, so persons with actual experince may have other opinions.

John