Single people more likely to be heavy boozers

Anagging spouse has been blamed for driving many a person to drink. But it seems the old excuse for enjoying one too many in the pub is just that - as new research suggests being married makes you drink less. Those who have tied the knot have fewer drinks overall and drink less frequently than single people, a study found. Scientists suggest husbands and wives monitor each other’s drinking, stopping them going over the top.

Another possibility is that people who drink less are more likely to tie the knot. The study – which also found the same effect for co-habiting couples – was carried out on 2425 identical twins. This was done to rule out the chance that some individuals might have a genetic bias towards alcohol. It found married twins drank less than their genetically identical single siblings. Diana Dinescu, a psychologist at the University of Virginia said the findings showed that ‘intimate relationships cause a decline in alcohol consumption.

She said: “It is impossible to tell from correlational research whether marital status has a protective effect, or whether people who naturally drink less simply are more likely to get married. “By using twins, our study allows us to eliminate entire classes of alternative explanations, such as genetic predispositions and upbringing influences, and brings us a step closer to understanding the true impact of relationships on drinking behaviour.’ The researchers sampled 1,618 female pairs and 807 male pairs of twins, who were asked their marital status, whether they were married, divorced, widowed, separated, never married or cohabiting. They also asked how much alcohol the participants drank and how frequently. The researchers found that cohabitating participants generally drank more frequently than married men and women participants, but less than their single, widowed and divorced counterparts.

Those who have tied the knot have fewer drinks overall and drink less frequently than single people, a study found. Scientists suggest husbands and wives monitor each other’s drinking, stopping them going over the top.

Single women and men consume more alcohol as they self-regulate how much they drink, the study by the University of Virginia found.

Scientists believe married couples tend to ‘monitor’ each other’s drinking habits more, resulting in them drinking less than those cohabiting or singletons.