Similar Drinking Habits May Increase Marital Happiness

 Posted on February 20, 2013 in Family Law

Married couples who share similar drinking habits may get along better than couples where one partner is a heavy drinker but the other is not, according to a new study from Norway. In general, divorce is much more likely to happen in relationships where the usage of alcohol is high. The study suggests that especially in marriages where the wife is a heavy drinker, the relationship is more likely to end in divorce. In marriages where only the wife consumed considerable amounts of alcohol, the divorce rate was 26.8%. But in marriages where only the husband was a heavy drinker, the divorce rate was not nearly as high, only 13.1%.

The researchers speculate that drinking in women upended marriages for gender and cultural reasons. Women are generally more strongly affected by alcohol than men are which may impair them, and add risk in a marriage, more than a husband’s drinking might. In addition, drinking “may be judged as incompatible with female roles.”

The results of the study seem to indicate that couples who are about to marry should take their partner’s drinking habits into consideration because their drinking may turn into a problem later on in the relationship. Compatible drinking habits improve marital stability, especially when both husband and wife do not drink a lot of alcohol. The divorce rate was only 5.8% in such marriages.

Divorce can involve many legal complexities. If you are thinking about divorcing, it is in your best interests to enlist the services of a skilled divorce lawyer who knows the ins and outs of divorce law. Contact an experienced divorce attorney in Kane County today.

Drinking Habits in Marriage | Kane County IL divorce lawyer

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net