Study: Binge drinkers tend to partner

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HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Many binge drinkers are in romantic relationships with people who exhibit similar behavior, Canadian researchers say.

The group from Dalhousie University in Halifax tracked 208 heterosexual couples, HealthDay reports. Their subjects were all in their early 20s, with at least one a college student, had been dating for at least three months and saw each other five times a week or more.

The researchers found a person's drinking behavior could be predicted by that of their partner.

"In some respect this is a cautionary piece of research. Pick your friends and lovers carefully because they influence you more than you think," Simon Sherry, an assistant psychology professor at Dalhousie, said in a news release.

More research needs to be done on whether heavy drinkers tend to gravitate towards each other and on whether both partners in a relationship involving heavy drinking tend to have alcoholic relatives, the team said.