“We really can’t make the blanket statements about drinking and romantic relationships that people have come to expect,” according to Ash Levitt, PhD, lead author on the report and postdoctoral fellow at UB’s Research Institute on Addictions. “For instance, it turns out that drinking together rather than apart is clearly good for relationships. Individuals who drink with their partner report feeling increased intimacy and decreased relationship problems the next day, compared to individuals who drink apart from their partner or do not drink at all.”
The beneficial outcomes for relationships were associated with relatively lower levels of drinking, one to three drinks, whereas harmful outcomes – decreased intimacy and increased relationship problems – were associated with heavier levels of drinking, as in four or more drinks.
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