Sources used in this document:

Heavy alcohol abuse is related to higher mortality rates and lower life expectancies, whereas the effects of mild to moderate alcohol use appear to range from beneficial to detrimental (e.g., Gunzerath, Faden, Zakhari, & Warren, 2004; Mokdad, Marks, Stroup, & Gerberdig, 2000). Given these findings there has been a significant sociological policy to encourage healthy levels of alcohol use in adults (Witkiewitz & Marlatt, 2006). The potential for alcohol abuse to be harmful to both individuals and to society has led to an extensive literature on the relationship between alcohol use and alcohol abuse and marital status in attempting to understand how one's marital status affects one's alcohol usage. Understanding the relationship between heavy alcohol use and various demographic factors is important to aid in the treatment of alcohol and substance abuse disorders, the development of educational programs regarding a healthier lifestyle and understanding the premorbid factors of substance abuse.

The general findings from the research on the effects of marital status and alcohol usage indicate that married individuals generally engage in less alcohol usage than single or divorced individuals (e.g., see Bachman, Safron, Sy, & Schulenberg, 2002; Curran, Muthen, & Harford, 1998). Likewise the rates of substance abuse disorders and substance dependence are generally believed to be lower in individuals who are married compared to those who are single (Saddock & Saddock, 2007). The research has also found that the transition from single life to married life reduces overall alcohol use and binge drinking in those with potential alcohol abuse; however, this relationship appears to be stronger for men than women (Bachman et al., 2002). Moreover, it appears that a similar relationship exists with individuals that are recently widowed or divorced as these individuals overall report higher usage of alcohol and alcohol abuse symptoms than married individuals, but again the relationship may be different for different genders (Curran et all., 1998). Thus, while there appears to be a general association between being married and reduced usage of alcohol, the actual mediating variables and specific relationships for both men and woman as they relate to alcohol use have been unclear.

Recent research by Reczek and associates has helped to uncover some of these vague relationships (Reczek et al., In Press). This research used the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study and in-depth interview studies to determine how marital status interacts with gender and alcohol use. The overall findings indicated that men consumed a greater average number of drinks than women and that a higher proportion of men reported having at least one drinking related problem than women did regardless of marital status. Men that were divorced reported consuming significantly more alcoholic drinks than men in long-term marriages. Many women who were divorced also reported at least one drinking related problem; however, women in long-term marriages reported higher rates of alcohol usage than women who were single. This last finding indicates that married women may actually consume more alcoholic beverages (but not have higher rates of alcohol abuse) that women