Wedded to the bottle...risk for young couples
GETTING married too young could turn you into an alcoholic, researchers say.
They found people who tie the knot before their 21st birthday are more likely to have problems with booze than those who marry later.
The risk of becoming an alcoholic is partly determined by a large number of genes.
Anyone with a “high genetic predisposition” for drinking is more likely to booze irresponsibly.
The research team analysed nearly 1,000 people’s drinking habits and marital status between the ages of 21 and 25.
Influences
The study was led by doctoral student Rebecca Smith at Virginia Commonwealth University in the US.
She said: “Individuals who marry young may not be the best influences on one another.
“This may create an environment in which other risk factors that contribute to alcohol use, such as genetic predispositions, are exacerbated.
“These findings are important because they demonstrate how risk and protective factors may intersect in different ways at different points across the lifespan. Although marriage is considered to be protective, when considering the role of development a different picture emerges.
“Early marriage may increase the risk of heavy episodic drinking among people who have high genetic predispositions for alcohol use. It contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the role of marriage.”
The study found people who wed young tend to face more challenges, specifically when it comes to mental health and substance abuse problems.
The average age for marriages among opposite-sex couples in the UK has risen to nearly 38 for men and 35 for women.
Around seven and a half million people in the UK are said to depend on alcohol.
Rebecca added: “Traditional life events, such as marriage and parenthood, tend to occur during certain periods in life.
“So when those types of events occur either earlier or later in life than is typical, they may not be as protective as we would expect.”
The findings were published in the medical journal Development and Psychopathology.