On behalf of The Walters Law Group, Ltd. posted in Divorce on Wednesday, February 20, 2013.
There are many reasons couples throughout the Chicago area decide to end their marriages with a divorce. Commonly cited reasons include disputes over the way that money is handled, infidelity or simply growing apart. According to a recent report, the amount of alcohol each spouse uses could have a bearing on whether a heterosexual marriage survives as well.
The report, which was published in an issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, followed almost 20,000 married couples for 15 years. The study started in the mid 1980s. Information regarding both the consumption of alcohol as well as mental distress was sought from the couples throughout the study. Perhaps not surprisingly, the more alcohol that was used the greater the chance that a couple’s marriage ended in divorce.
While overall the chance of divorce increased when either or both spouses consumed large amounts of alcohol on a regular basis, the statistics were affected by the gender of the spouse. The risk of divorce was greatest when the wife in a heterosexual marriage was a heavy drinker.
Whatever the reason a couple decides to call it quits, in many cases the same issues need to be addressed. In addition to the division of assets and debts, in some cases spousal maintenance needs to be determined. When children are involved, there are matters of child support and child custody as well. Dealing with these matters can be difficult in the best situations. When alcohol is a factor in the split it is possible that it could have a bearing on the outcome of the custody matter.
While there are times that a divorce can be amicable, most find that the process is easier when a lawyer handling such matters in consulted.
Source: FOX News, “Heavy drinking raises risk of divorce,” Stephanie Pappas, Feb. 6, 2013
- Divorces can be contentious matters regardless of the individuals involved. Our firm handles similar situations to the one discussed in this post. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Chicago divorce page.