Alcohol use and intimate relationships in adolescence: when love comes to town

The associations between alcohol consumption and intimate relationships in adolescence were examined. Data from a longitudinal study of 1,063 adolescents were used to investigate whether (a) alcohol use was a precursor of partnership and (b) adolescents tended to change their drinking habits once they became involved in a steady relationship. Youngsters who consumed alcohol at the ages of 14 and 15 were more likely to be involved in an intimate relationship 3 years later. Drinking in social settings particularly increased the likelihood of having a partner 3 years later. In addition, for males, partnership was associated with a smaller increase in alcohol consumption in public drinking places compared to the other categories (i.e., adolescents who never had a partner vs. adolescents who had no partner at the time of measurement). In contrast, the increase in consumption at home was the strongest for young men involved in a steady relationship. For females, the differences in changes in consumption between the partnership categories were in most cases not significant.