I am wondering if anyone else has had this problem. Years ago, I supposedly "broke up" a good old boys group when my significant other fell in love with me and decided a stable relationship with me was better than partying every night with his buddies. It is now years later and one of those buddies, who is a compulsive liar, still spreads dirt about me all around town.

He lies about everything when it would be just as easy to tell the truth. His sense of reality is totally warped. For example, if I see him at an event and later I overhear him talk about it to others, he will describe things that supposedly happened there that never did. I feel he is dangerous, in a way. I think other people see this too. What I don't understand is: Why then do people still believe him?

My job puts me in a very public position and run my own business. People hear things from him liesand believe them and then I lose out--on opportunities both social and economic. I have been dealing with this for years and just don't know what to do. My significant other doesn't even spend time with him anymore because he has nothing in common with him. The guy still parties, doesn't have a job and has the maturity of a teenager. I don't know if people still think they are close and therefore believe he must know what he is talking about or what? I think the added incentive for him to do this is that he wanted me first, but I was not interested and made that absolutely clear to him. So I think he's jealous that I am with his former buddy.

If anyone has any ideas on what I can do, I am open to suggestions. I've tried to do damage control but I don't know if it helps, it may just appear like I am too defensive.