How Does Alcohol Affect Relationships?

Alcohol affects moods. This can lead to a person being more sexually energized or subsequently suppressing sexual desire. However, if a person does find themself more sexually energized due to alcohol, it can still impact a person’s ability to perform. Also, someone who becomes more sexually aroused due to alcohol is more likely to cheat.

A 2018 study also found that individuals who were in serious relationships that also used alcohol at times of intimacy were more likely to be sexually aggressive toward their partner. Simply put, involving alcohol in areas of intimacy can lead to problems such as arguments, mistrust, and infidelity.

Since alcohol has the capability to change a person’s overall personality when they drink they are no longer the person their loved one recognizes. This can cause loved ones to feel like they’re dealing with two separate people. This makes it difficult for loved ones to feel like they can trust the person they think they know.

Subsequently, a person who is suffering from alcohol abuse may begin to hide their addiction. They go out of their way to hide alcohol purchases or spend time outside of the home or work drinking so they don’t have to deal with their partner calling them out on their alcohol use. This web of lies can cause more mistrust in relationships and strain communication. Both partners can feel sad and resentful.

Alcohol can cause people to become more aggressive, moody, and argumentative. A person may be happy one minute and then have a sudden shift when alcohol is involved. This emotional roller coaster ride is both confusing and disheartening for the partner who experiences it.

There have been studies on the way alcohol affects the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is what regulates emotion and impulse. This is also the part of the brain that is responsible for higher functions like self-control and attention. It has been shown that excessive alcohol abuse can weaken this area making a person more susceptible to mood swings.

Money issues are a top concern in relationships that involve alcohol abuse. People struggling with alcohol oftentimes find themselves spending money on alcohol instead of bills or other necessities. It can also cause a person to drink when they shouldn’t, like at work or while driving.

If someone is caught drinking while at work they can be fired, which leads to income loss. If someone is drinking while driving they will deal with legal problems that often include fines.

This leads to financial strain between partners which can spiral into deeper problems if not addressed early on.

Mental Health is also affected by alcohol in relationships. If one partner is drinking heavily it can cause a lot of stress and conflict that can lead to depression or anxiety. This can be especially hard if the other partner is trying to get their loved one to stop drinking, as they may feel helpless in the situation.

Mental illness and substance abuse commonly co-occur. According to SAMHSA, in 2018 roughly 9.2 million adults in the United States had a co-occurring disorder. This means that alcohol use could cause mental illness to develop or be used as a method to self-soothe an existing mental health disorder. Either way, alcohol will only worsen mental health issues.

Alcohol can cause people to become so focused on drinking that they lose interest in other activities. This can be especially damaging in a relationship, as it leaves the sober partner feeling neglected and unloved. It’s important for partners to engage in activities together and alcohol should not replace those opportunities.

Alcohol essentially takes over a person’s life and drinking becomes their favorite activity. This can make it hard for a person to quit drinking because now it has become so routine. The more alcohol takes over a person’s life, the less likely people will want to be around them while drinking. This means the person suffering from alcohol addiction is spending much of their time alone.

Since alcohol lowers a person’s inhibitions, individuals who engage in alcohol abuse are more likely to take risks. This can lead to more drug experimentation, cheating on a spouse, or engaging in illegal activities like drinking and driving.

It’s important to remember that the person who is drinking may not necessarily want to do these things, but because of the influence of alcohol, they’re unaware of the impact. 

Alcohol can blind individuals to the consequences of their actions. However, this won’t stop them from occurring. This can cause spouses to feel helpless as they watch their loved one continually repeat the same mistakes.

For some couples, alcohol can become a crutch. This often involves one spouse being overly dependent on alcohol to cope with stress or feel “normal” and the other spouse enabling this behavior by providing alcohol or covering for them when they are too inebriated to handle their responsibilities. This type of codependent relationship is not healthy as it reinforces bad habits, creates a lack of boundaries, and prevents both individuals from seeking help for alcohol abuse.