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Heavy drinking may lead to divorce

Does drinking alcohol increase the chances of divorce? A new study suggests that the more a person drinks, the more likely they will get divorced.

The chances of divorce is higher for couples where only one spouse drinks alcohol frequently, according to new research published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. The risk of divorce is three times higher when one spouse drinks a lot and the other spouse doesn’t drink very often.

Even in couples where they both drink the same amount of alcohol, the risk of divorce is still increased, according to the study. The divorce risk increased the most if the wife was the heavier drinker in the marriage.

Researchers said that this could be a result of two causes. One consideration was that women are more affected by alcohol compared to men, making them intoxicated faster than most males. The other consideration was that heavy drinking is less tolerated for women than for men, so the risk of divorce is increased when the female spouse drinks more than her husband.

The study’s researchers looked at alcohol’s influence on marriages. They used data from married couples participating in their long-term health study that started in 1984. The couples discussed their alcohol use and marriage. They were re-interviewed over the next 15 years to see which couples divorced and other factors that may have impacted their marriages.

Couples get divorced for a variety of reasons. Spouses that are considering divorce should consult a divorce attorney to discuss their specific case as well as to address any issues they should be considering before filing for divorce.

Source: Yahoo, “Heavy Drinking Raises Risk of Divorce,” Stephanie Pappas, Feb. 5, 2013