Drinking can be good for a relationship.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Drinking plays an important and sometimes unexpected role from one day to the next in young couples' romantic relationships, according to a study by researchers at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) and University of Missouri, Columbia. The study extends past research by showing that alcohol use can have both positive and negative effects, and documents the circumstances in which these effects are more likely to occur.

"We really can't make the blanket statement about drinking and romantic relationships that people have come to expect," indicates Ash Levitt, lead author on the report and postdoctoral fellow at UB's Research Institute on Addictions. "For instance, it turns out that drinking together rather than apart is dearly good for relationships. Individuals who drink with their partner report feeling increased intimacy and decreased relationship problems the next day, compared to individuals who drink apart from their partner or do not drink at all."

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The beneficial outcomes are associated with relatively lower levels of drinking, one to three drinks, whereas harmful outcomes--decreased intimacy and increased...