Merry Binge Drinking! How Your Partner Could Make You Go Too Far This Season

Christmastime! A time for giving gifts, loving who you’re with, snuggling, and drinking. Binge drinking.

A new study put out by Dalhousie University has found that couples who celebrate together binge drink together. The psychology researchers studied 208 heterosexual couples who were in their 20s and had been together around two years. They found that within the 28 days they monitored the drinking of each couple, a pattern was found and it was clear to see that one partner’s drinking habits influenced the drinking of the other.

This leads to the question: are drunkards falling for other drunkards? Are drinking habits a part of the selection process? Well, I beg to differ.

Personally, I know that when it comes to me and my boyfriend, I will surely be the only one getting sloppy at the Christmas parties this year.  He has always been barely a drinker and I can be compared to a fish. So, have I influenced him? Possibly. His interest in Grey Goose has gone up quite a bit since I became of legal age. But to say that when I binge drink he follows suit is completely false.

Aside from playing Devil’s Advocate, the whole idea does make some sense. In our world, we like to follow trends, follow the popular move, follow loved ones, etc. When you love someone, you are more likely to do something you never thought you would just because they do it. I sure as hell never would have started listening to jazz music if it wasn’t for my boyfriend! So it is understandable to assume that one’s drinking habits could carry over to a loved one.

It may be easy to go for that fifth glass of egg nog with a “kick” this holiday season, but you could be bringing your loved one down too. Men and women also have completely different tolerance levels.

So, especially this holiday season, let’s try not to compete and keep up with loved ones when it comes to the Elf Drinking Game or a nice round of Jager Bombs to ring in the New Year. Take it easy and know your limits. He or she won’t love you any less.

Contact the author here: crazycolleen@morningquickie.com