Researchers found that if one spouse is a heavier drinker that the other, it may not be good for a marriage but if both spouses are heavy drinkers, it may not be that bad.
Two is better than one! Seems like the same rule applies when it comes to how drinking influences a couple's married life. Both people in a marriage drink heavily is better than just one spouse being a heavy drinker, researchers from Buffalo University revealed in a press statement.
On studying 634 couples from the time of their wedding through the first nine years of marriage, researchers found that couples where only one spouse was a heavy drinker ended up divorcing each other. However, if both spouses were heavy drinkers, the divorce rate was as high as that for couples where neither were heavy drinkers.
"Our results indicate that it is the difference between the couple's drinking habits, rather than the drinking itself, that leads to marital dissatisfaction, separation and divorce," said Kenneth Leonard, PhD, RIA director and lead author of the study in the statement.
During the course of the nine years, fifty percent of couples where only one spouse was a heavy drinker wound up divorced compared to 30 percent where both spouses were heavy drinkers.
What's interesting, however, is that researchers also observed that divorce rates among couples where both partners were heavy drinkers were considerably similar to the divorce rates of couples where neither were heavy drinkers.
"Heavy drinking spouses may be more tolerant of negative experiences related to alcohol due to their own drinking habits," Leonard said. But he cautioned that this does not mean other aspects of family life are unimpaired. "While two heavy drinkers may not divorce, they may create a particularly bad climate for their children."
Leonard also noted a slightly higher divorce rate among couples where the wife was a heavier drinker than her husband. However, he clarified that this difference was not statistically significant. Over the top of his head, Leonard reasoned that this higher divorce may be because a man whose wife drinks more than him may consider it as going against proper gender roles for women, leading to more conflict.
The conclusions of this study were made after factors like marijuana and tobacco use, depression and socioeconomic status were taken into consideration.
"Ultimately, we hope our findings will be helpful to marriage therapists and mental health practitioners who can explore whether a difference in drinking habits is causing conflicts between couples seeking help," Leonard said.
