Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Yesterday, Valerie Bertinelli revealed on the Oprah Winfrey Show, that she cheated on Van Halen during their marriage because he cheated on her.

Infidelity expert Ruth Houston, founder of www.InfidelityAdvice.com says, ?Revenge cheating is a common response by female infidelity victims when they learn of a cheating spouse?s extramarital affair. While men may resort to domestic violence upon the discovery of an affair, many women resort to retaliatory affairs.?

Houston, the author of Is He Cheating on You? ? 829 Telltale Signs, says that while the desire for an infidelity victim to seek revenge is a natural response, it?s not a healthy response, even though the victim may feel justified in feeling this way.

Why Infidelity Victims Often Resort to Revenge Affairs

Houston says a retaliatory affair is the infidelity victim?s way of evening the score. He or she may have a one-night stand with a total stranger and feel vindicated even if the spouse who cheated on them never finds out about the affair.

Houston continues, ?Other victims of infidelity go to great lengths to cheat with someone they know will totally devastate their partner ? a best friend, family member, or business rival of the cheating spouse. Then they carefully orchestrate things to ensure that their spouse or partner finds out about the retaliatory affair."

"In their mind, they?re putting the shoe on the other foot - teaching the cheating spouse a lesson ? letting the cheater see how it feels to be cheated on. But revenge cheating rarely has the intended effect."

The Consequences of Revenge Cheating or Retaliatory Affairs

?Instead of solving the problem, it can make the situation worse.? says Houston. ?In fact, it may have the opposite effect. The spouse or partner who cheated first may use their partner?s retaliatory affair as an excuse to continue cheating on their mate, or as justification for having other affairs.?

Revenge cheating is a dangerous game. Houston says it can often be the catalyst for domestic violence or worse. ?The newspapers are full of stories about people who retaliated against a cheating spouse in violent or destructive ways, regardless of which spouse cheated first."

Even if it doesn?t reach this stage, Houston warns that revenge cheating is the beginning of a downward spiral that can eventually destroy what?s left of the marriage or relationship.

What Infidelity Victims Should Do Instead

?I always advise against revenge in any form.? Says Houston, who consults regularly with both male and female victims of infidelity, because it rarely ends there. There are always repercussions of some kind."

Houston advises:

? Don?t lower yourself to the cheater?s level by cheating too. This is a classic case of two wrongs not making a right.

? Don't sell out your own dignity or compromise your principles just because your partner had an affair.

? Should seek qualified professional help in dealing with the discovery or the aftermath of an affair.

? Remember - revenge may make you feel better for the moment, but in the long run it?s not worth the time and effort.

Free Advice on What NOT To Do

Because the desire for revenge can cloud an infidelity victim?s judgment and cause her to do something she may later regret, Houston has compiled a free special report entitled, 5 Things You SHOULDN?T Do if He?s Cheating on You. To request a copy, e-mail InfidelityInfo@gmail.com with 5 Things-X in the subject line.

For more information about infidelity, cheating spouses, and extramarital affairs, visit www.InfidelityAdvice.com or http://infidelitynewsandviews.blogspot.com

About Ruth Houston:

Infidelity expert Ruth Houston, is the founder of www.InfidelityAdvice.com and the author of Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs, which documents practically every known sign of infidelity.

Frequently called on by the media to comment on popular infidelity issues and infidelity-related breaking news, Ruth has been quoted in USA Today, the New York Times, the New York Post, Newsday, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Christian Science Monitor, Cosmopolitan, msnbc.com, FoxNews.com, ABC News.com, MSN Lifestyle, MSN Money, iVillage, Netscape Love, the National Post, Maclean?s , Entertainment Online, and numerous other print and online media worldwide.

Ruth has also been a guest on The Today Show, CNN, Fox News, Fox & Friends, ABC News, NBC News, Good Day New York, Ireland's Late Late Show, 1010WINS, Sirius Satellite Radio, Court TV Radio, BBC, CBC, and over 360 radio and TV talk shows in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and the Caribbean.

For more information, visit www.InfidelityAdvice.com or Ruth Houston?s infidelity blog at http://infidelitynewsandviews.blogspot.com

To interview infidelity expert Ruth Houston,

call 718 592-6039 or e-mail InfidelityExpert@gmail.com