Dating? Here's some advice on getting serious from the book "How to Survive Dating" (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $12.95), straight from people who've done it:

“While we were dating, my boyfriend and I took communication classes. It helped us to learn more about each other and enjoy each other more. We are now married, and we still use the information we learned. I encourage everyone to take these classes at the dating stage because you really learn a lot of helpful and fun techniques.”

—Patricia T., Oakland, Calif.

“I don’t really remember the first time I said, ‘I love you’ to my girlfriend, whom I’ve been dating for two years. I think you get so caught up in the moment, that when no other words can describe how you feel being with that person, at that particular moment, you say it, but you’re not thinking about saying it. It just happens. That’s when you know.”

—Chris Farrington, Libertyville, Ill.

“Don’t ever settle. Just because someone’s interested in you doesn’t mean you need to be interested in him. You never know when something better is going to come along.”

—Amy, Marietta, Ga.

“You should say ‘I love you’ when it echoes in your head over and over every time you’re around that person—but you should also feel fairly confident they’ll say it back.”

—Lisa, Des Moines, Iowa

“On the second date, I always take the person to the Clermont Lounge in Atlanta. If a date doesn’t find it one of the most interesting slices of Americana there is, I don’t think I’d find him interesting long-term. It’s this dive strip club that plays rock music. People like Charlie Sheen and Mick Jagger go there. There’s a stripper named Blondie who can crush a beer can between her boobs, and if someone gets out of hand, she’ll do that and then chuck the can at the guy. There’s even this dirty place on the ceiling tiles above the bar where the dancers always put their hands on the ceiling when dancing on the bar. They were serving Pabst Blue Ribbon in a can before it was trendy. My boyfriend and all the Georgia Tech people took me for the first time years ago—there’s a dance floor for the college and livemusic crowd, a live rock-and-roll band when the disco isn’t playing, and then, of course, the odd, older, ‘can’t get a job anywhere else’ dancers — trying to dance to all of it on the bar. It’s a great place.”

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.