Rocket fuel for marriage it is not.

• Position: Alcoholism - Brief article

There is a strong association between alcohol dependence and persons delaying or ending a marriage, maintains a study at Indiana University, Bloomington. "There hasn't been a great deal of research looking at the effects of alcohol involvement on timing of various marital transitions--getting married or separating from marriage," observes Mary Waldron, assistant professor of counseling and education psychology.

The researchers assessed physical and psychological manifestations of alcohol use in those between ages 28 and 92, including when alcohol dependence began, ages when each first got married, and if he or she separated from marriage.

The study found that alcoholism has a profound impact on marriages for men and women. Alcohol dependence was associated with a 36% decreased likelihood of first marriage for men, and a 23% decrease for women--and, when alcoholics married, they were mere than twice as likely to experience separation, compared with nonalcoholics.

"It's just another striking example of the social...