3 Reasons Why Alcohol Affects Your Relationship And What To Do About It

Is alcohol impacting your relationship? If your answer is yes, then youโ€™ve come to the right place. This article is going to explore how alcohol affects your relationship, the reasons behind it, and how to cut back on alcohol.

During an interview on the popular podcast The Tim Ferriss Show, famous entrepreneur and businessman Sir Richard Branson once suggested a simple yet important thought experiment to listeners.

Weโ€™ll paraphrase that thought experiment here:

Think back to the few biggest mistakes or arguments of your marriage. Now think how many of them occurred when one or both of you were under the influence of alcohol.

Does your answer surprise you? Perhapsโ€”but it doesnโ€™t surprise psychological research. Studies consistently show that drinking can negatively affect relationships.

Related: The Benefits Of Quitting Alcohol For Good: 7 Ways Your Life Changes For The Better

So what does this mean? Should you never drink again in order to save your marriage? Not necessarily. But itโ€™s important to understand how alcohol can affect people and the way they relate to others. Doing so will help you reduce the risk of beer, wine, or liquor degrading the health of your relationship.

*Disclaimer: For the purposes of this blog post, we are not explicitly talking about alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder. While alcoholism is serious, prevalent, and treatable, it is beyond the scope of our discussion here.

If you believe alcoholism is affecting you or a loved one, please seek help. Contact a local resource or call the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at 1 (800) 662-HELP (4357).

How alcohol affects your relationship

3 Reasons Why Alcohol Affects Your Relationship

Alcohol isnโ€™t necessarily the big bad wolf. But if you donโ€™t remain aware of how it can affect you, your partner, and your interactions, then it definitely can bite.

Here are three key reasons why alcohol so often affects people in negative ways:

1. Itโ€™s a drug.

By definition, alcohol (even small amounts of it) can alter a personโ€™s emotions, perception, and thought process. A well-known depressant, alcohol can lower your mood and inhibitionsโ€”a potential recipe for faster-to-fight situations between you and your partner.

2. It enjoys a cultural โ€œpass.โ€

Alcohol is widely accepted in the cultural milieu. Consciously or not, we often downplay the negative effects of alcohol and view it as a mandatory aspect of celebrating, de-stressing, and so on.

Case in point: Have you ever said something like โ€œI only said that because I was drunk,โ€ โ€œWe only fight when weโ€™ve been drinking,โ€ or โ€œWe canโ€™t celebrate our anniversary without wine?โ€

These are major red flags that youโ€™re failing to recognize the power that alcohol can have on you and your partner.

3. Its psychological effects directly influence social interaction.

We already alluded to the idea that alcohol can impact your mood. To be more specific, heavy or even moderate drinking can cause a person to be more aggressive, disinhibited, defensive, sensitive, and irrational.

These psychological effects can persist even after alcohol is out of your system, and in the long-term can change brain function.

Related: The Illusion Of Willpower: Why Cant You Just Quit Alcohol

3 Ways To Reduce The Effect Of Alcohol On Your Relationship

Letโ€™s say youโ€™ve identified alcohol as a negative influence on you and your partner. Itโ€™s fuelled arguments, nit-picky behaviors, and otherwise unloving interactions between the two of youโ€”even if only slightly and occasionally.

So, how can you start mitigating the effects of alcohol within your marriage or partnership?

Consider these three tips, realizing that some may be more or less feasible for you personally than others:

1. Commit to drinking responsibly.

For men, that means up to two alcoholic beverages per day. For women, itโ€™s up to one. Remain present and really enjoy your drink.

Make a ritual of it, such as toasting each other and saying something you feel grateful for before going bottoms up. If you do this, the recommended daily maximum should be more than enough.

Alcohol affects your relationship

2. Consider only imbibing in alcohol when youโ€™re out of the house.

The added expense of buying priced-up alcohol at a bar or restaurant may help you curb the habit. Plus, sitting around at home drinking in a familiar environment can often fuel unnecessary conflict or excessive consumption.

(It goes without saying that if you are drinking out of the house, youโ€™re always ensuring you have a safe ride homeโ€”designated driver, Uber, etc.โ€”and are never driving under the influence.)

Related: 20 Things People Realize When They Quit Drinking Alcohol

3. Complete a sober month together.

Made famous by โ€œDry January,โ€ sober months are growing in popularity these days. In addition to boosting your mood and helping you save money, research shows that going alcohol-free for 30 days can improve sleep, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, weight, and liver function.

Want to know more about the effect of alcohol on your relationship? Check this video out below!

Want to read more such empowering pieces? Check out April Eldemireโ€™s blog here.


Written By April Eldemire 
Originally Appeared On Couples Thrive
how to cut back on alcohol

— Share —

, ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Up Next

How to Become Pregnant with PCOS: 6 Proven Strategies For A Promising Start

Generally, women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) get problems in conceiving a child and starting a family. If you suffer from this condition of PCOS then we recommend you to take up this manual on how to become pregnant with PCOS.ย 

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

According to American Familiesโ€™

Up Next

Codependence and Interdependence: What Truly Sets Them Apart?

The question โ€˜What is the difference between codependence and interdependence?โ€™ In reality, it asks whether a relationship is dysfunctional or healthy. Well, in todayโ€™s Best Day Blog, I will be taking you through the differences between the two and how to recover from codependency.

(adsby

Up Next

10 Riveting Movies About Broken Marriages: How Love Crumbles Over Time

Marriage is supposed to represent love and commitment, but itโ€™s not always a fairy tale. Below are some of the movies about broken marriages that challenge the โ€œhappily ever afterโ€ stereotype!

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Sometimes, things start falling apart โ€” from within or without โ€” and this is frequently caused by different pressures and conflic

Up Next

Friendship Marriage: Japanโ€™s Latest Relationship Trend Explained

Friendship marriage is the latest relationship trend taking the world by storm, and itโ€™s got everyone talking. Forget the traditional notions of romance and commitment; these couples are rewriting the rules of marriage and how!

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

This unique approach has not only got people talking, but itโ€™s also challenging many societal norms when it c

Up Next

Should I Start a Family? 10 Reasons That Might Convince You

Two paths are diverging before you at a crossroads. You can either continue with your present life which has the comforts you know so well, or you could choose the other path which goes into the unknown.ย 

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The decision to start a family is one of those big adventures in life that leaves us breathless with awe; it is filled with twists and

Up Next

8 Questions To Ask Yourself If You Want To Avoid Marrying The Wrong Person

Picture this: youโ€™re standing at the altar, surrounded by beaming friends and family, moments away from saying โ€œI doโ€ to the person who you thought was your soulmate and the love of your life. But deep down, you canโ€™t ignore the nagging feeling that something doesnโ€™t feel right. Could it be possible that youโ€™re marrying the wrong person?

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({

Up Next

63 Conversation Starters For Deep Dialogues With Your Partner

Why conversation starters? Over time conversations with your partner might begin to feel shallow and focused more on the daily grind than topics that actually matter. This is normal. Itโ€™s probably not a dangerous red flag that your relationship is about to end, but it is likely unsatisfying and monotonous.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Itโ€™s quite easy to reignite t