American researchers have discovered the secret of a marriage that lasts a long time: consuming the same amount of alcohol, whether it is a little or a lot.
What’s the secret to a lasting marriage? The amount of alcohol consumed by the members of the couple, according to researchers at the University of Buffalo (State of New York, United States). The results of their study will appear in the December issue of the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
An annoying difference
630 couples were followed for nine years after their union before the mayor. The researchers identified four groups: the one where there is no heavy drinker in the couple, the one where the husband is a heavy drinker, the one where the wife is and the one where both members of the couple are heavy drinkers. The study classified as heavy drinkers those who drink more than six drinks in a row or until intoxicated. As a result, married couples who consume as much alcohol divorce less than those whose consumption differs.
Couples in which one spouse drinks more than the other divorce in one in two cases. On the other hand, two thirds of couples with equivalent consumption remain married. Couples where both spouses are heavy drinkers do not divorce more than those where both drink little. The researchers explain it by a greater tolerance on the part of the other spouse to the effects of alcohol. “Our results indicate that it is the difference between couples’ drinking habits and not the consumption itself that leads to marital discontent, separation and divorce,” said Kenneth Leonard, director of the institute that conducted the surveys. research. On the other hand, the director of the Institute which carried out the study, underlines that the stability of the couples has negative effects for the children whose two parents drink a lot.
Women who drink more
Strangely, when the wife is a heavy drinker, marriages often end worse. Three hypotheses are put forward by the team. First of all, women are more affected by heavy alcohol consumption, which promotes conflict. The second explains that strong female alcohol consumption is less well accepted than for men, which more easily leads to divorce. The last hypothesis completes the previous one: the man, noting that his wife drinks more than he does, considers that she is stepping out of her role as a woman and encroaches on his.
“This study provides strong evidence to support the common idea that heavy drinking in a couple can lead to divorce,” says Kenneth Leonard. “Even though people tend to think of it as a predictable outcome, there was surprisingly little data to support this thesis until today. “It confirms and specifies indeed a previous study, carried out in Norway. She argued that the more people drink, the higher the risk of divorce and that the risk is reduced if spouses consume the same amount of alcohol.
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