Do you enjoy having a drink with your significant other? Whether it's going out to the pub together, sitting down for a bottle of wine over dinner or even hitting up the local nightclub as a power-dancing duo, it seems as if couples who drink together, stay together.
"When both partners drank either heavy or light amounts, as long as they were similar amounts compared to their partner, it was better for the relationship than when one drank heavily and the other lightly"
Yup, getting drunk will only wreck your marriage if your spouse doesn’t get drunk with you. Well, that's according to a recent study by the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions (RIA).
Researchers followed 634 couples from the time of their weddings through the first nine years of marriage and found that couples where only one spouse was a heavy drinker had a much higher divorce rate than other couples.
But if both spouses went drinking together? The divorce rate was the same as for couples where neither were heavy drinkers.
Kenneth Leonard, the director of the study, explained that the study shows that drinking doesn't lead to marital dissatisfaction, it's the lack of shared interest in drinking that does it.
"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."
And Ash Levitt, in a piece on the University site, added: "When both partners drank either heavy or light amounts, as long as they were similar amounts compared to their partner, it was better for the relationship than when one drank heavily and the other lightly," explained Ash Levitt, PhD, in a piece on the University at Buffalo site.
Intriguing.
Over the course of the nine-year study, nearly 50 percent of couples where only one partner drank more heavily wound up divorcing, while the divorce rates for other couples was only 30 percent. ("Heavy drinking" was defined as drinking six or more drinks at one time or drinking to intoxication.)
"Heavy drinking spouses may be more tolerant of negative experiences related to alcohol due to their own drinking habits," added Kenneth. 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."
Well, quite.
The research seems to hammer home one very important point: you should marry your best friend if you want a long and happy relationship, someone who you enjoy spending time and share interests with.
If your husband or wife-to-be enjoys drinking and you do not, or vice versa, it could represent a similar style clash of interests (such as religious or political beliefs) which could be damaging to the future of your marriage.
Look for someone whose lifestyle mirrors your own, whose interests complement (not necessarily match) your own and whose choices you respect.
Look for someone you love spending time with. And look for someone who really is your best friend, who you can't wait to see at the end of the day, who you can't wait to tell your good news to, who you want to be there when you've had bad news.
In short, look for your best friend. And, whether you get tipsy together or not, we imagine you'll be on track to a long and happy marriage.
Do you agree with the research; is drinking together, or not drinking together, the key to a happy marriage? Comment below for your chance to win a £25 supermarket voucher