Study Consumption of Alcoholic Drinks for Better Marriage Happiness?

Marriages are happier when both partners have the same drinking habits
In general, one should handle the consumption of alcohol with care. Alcohol can cause headaches and nausea and can significantly harm our health. Researchers have now discovered that alcohol consumption can also be beneficial. For example, married couples tend to have a happier relationship if they have similar drinking habits.

University of Michigan researchers found in a ten-year research project that married couples' relationships are more harmonious and happier when both partners have similar drinking habits and not just a partner drinks alcohol. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "The Journals of Gerontology: Series B: Psychological Series".

Certainly alcohol improves mood for some people at short notice, but how does the consumption of alcohol affect a marriage? Researchers now examined in a study whether similar drinking habits in a marriage lead to more happiness and satisfaction. (Image: Minerva Studio / fotolia.com)

Study examines over 2,700 couples on their drinking habits and the quality of their marriage
The analysis of data from a representative national sample of heterosexual couples in the United States has now found that women in particular are dissatisfied in their relationship if they form the only alcohol-drinking part of the partnership. For their study, the American researchers examined more than 2,700 couples over the age of 50 years.

Joint abstinence from alcohol also improves relationship happiness
The research clearly showed that couples lead better marriages when either partner drank alcohol or when both spouses abstained from alcohol, say the doctors. Drank only one of the partners, the relationships were unhappy.

Study should not be a call for alcohol consumption
Of course, we do not want to call people to drink more alcohol, says author Dr. Kira Birditt from the University of Michigan. You should not change your drinking habits now. It is not clear why these effects occur when both spouses have the same drinking habits. It could be because couples with more shared recreational activities can enjoy better marriage quality, adds Dr. Birditt added.

The Germans drink too much alcohol
Of course, alcohol is consumed in almost every country, in France, for example, people like to drink wine to eat, in Italy there is often a grappa after the meal. But Germans drink too much alcohol compared to other countries in the world. Especially in Germany, the so-called after-work beer is part of everyday life for many people. But if after-hours consumption becomes the norm serious health risks can be imminent.

Parents have a massive influence on the drinking behavior of their children
Especially with adolescents, alcohol consumption can quickly become a first problem. The adolescents often overestimate themselves when drinking alcoholic beverages. The consequences are then usually the next day to determine and make themselves felt as nausea, vomiting and headache. However, it has been proven that parents significantly influence the alcohol consumption of minors. Through their upbringing and exemplary self-treatment with alcohol, they can positively influence the drinking behavior of their child.

Subjects had to answer a series of questions over a period of ten years
In the new study, participants answered questions about their drinking habits. These interviews with the researchers were conducted over a period of ten years. The subjects had to answer whether they drank alcohol, how many days a week they drank alcohol and how many alcoholic beverages they consumed on those days.

More than half of the couples tested drank alcohol
On average, the couples were married 33 years and in about two-thirds of the subjects this was their first marriage. In more than half of all couples examined, both spouses drank alcohol, the experts say. In general, women in the study drank less than their husbands. But women were particularly unhappy in their marriage if they were the only consumers of alcohol. So it's not about how much you drink, it's about whether you drink alcohol at all, says dr. Birditt.

Further research on this topic is urgently needed
Consuming alcohol can be a serious problem for older adults. The results of the study showed that around twenty percent of men and six percent of women surveyed had significant alcohol problems. Heavy drinkers usually have disturbed relationships with other people, especially with the partner or the partner. Further investigations should deal with this special problem in the future, says dr. Fred Blow from the University of Michigan. (As)

How do I notice an alcohol problem??
Sometimes, affected people may not even realize that they have a problem with the alcohol. How can I actually tell that I have a so-called alcohol problem? For many people, the consumption of alcohol is part of everyday life. Often alcohol has simply become part of social and cultural life. If you drink a glass of wine or a beer in the evening, this is certainly no cause for concern. However, if you can not last two days without alcohol, you should worry. If you have trouble surviving such a short break without alcohol, this is a first warning sign of an alcohol problem. (As)