Alcoholic Spouses Swap Binges

generic champagne toast. (Image credit: Stock.xchng)

Like attracts like, especially when it comes to partners who like to booze. But a new study shows that one spouse’s excess with alcohol can lead to the other cutting back. To find the curious correlation, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently studied 5,974 Australian twins born between 1902 and 1964, along with their spouses. By looking at twins and their spouses, the researchers were able to compare and measure genetic and environmental influences related to alcoholism. “We found that people at risk for alcohol dependence tend to marry others who are at risk," said Julia Grant, one of the study’s authors.

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