Lifestyle

Black Out Together: Couples Who Drink The Same Amount Are Best For Each Other

by Elite Daily Staff
Stocksy

Good news for couples who were drunk the first time they met! A new study from the University of Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions found that getting wasted all the time will only harm your marriage if it’s just one person doing the drinking.

Researchers followed 634 couples for nine years after their weddings, and found that couples where only one spouse was a heavy drinker had a much higher divorce rate than other couples.

Nearly half of couples with one heavy drinker got divorced, compared to 30 percent of couples who get drunk together.

You know that saying that drinking brings people together? It might just be true!

What’s even more intriguing is that the divorce rate in drinking couples was comparable to the rate in sober couples, where neither person drank. This suggests that it’s not the alcohol itself that is causing marital dissatisfaction, but the lack of mutual interest in drinking.

So, make sure that your future hubby is also a great drinking buddy!

“Heavy drinking spouses may be more tolerant of negative experiences related to alcohol due to their own drinking habits,” said Kenneth Leonard, PhD, RIA director and lead author of the study.

The divorce rate was slightly higher in couples where the heavy drinker was the wife, but the finding was not statistically significant because this was only present in a few couples.

Leonard suggests, “If this difference is supported by further research, it might be because men view heavy drinking by their wives as going against proper gender roles for women, leading to more conflict.” But, what if it’s the men in our lives who are making us drink so much?!

All in all, if you know you have a penchant for blacking out, just make sure your spouse does too. It’s not fun to be the drunkest person at the bar anyway.

Via: NYMag, Top Photo Credit: Tumblr