I can't say I haven't dated a few more bad boys since then, because I have. But the relationships have been much shorter and the outcomes much less dramatic (not hard, since most breakups don't end in a visit to the ER).
I've been more careful about recognizing the bad boy signs and either fixing the relationship or bringing it to a faster end. When choosing dates, I try to go for compatibility over intrigue, stability over drama; even if the reality is that it's a teeny bit more boring sometimes.
The good news is that the guys themselves are not. Bad boys can always be counted on for certain adjectives: insecure, critical, moody, arrogant. Those never change. Nice guys with a tiny bit of bad boy (like, 5%), expressed in healthy ways (radical politics, comedy, outsider art) are always full of happy surprises.
