Tag: drinking

Have you and your partner decided you’re ready to be parents—or have another baby?

According to Baby Center, 85 percent of couples who actively try to get pregnant will conceive within about one year, or 12 menstrual cycles. If they are not able to conceive after one year, it is recommended at that time that they may want to consult a fertility expert. (This time period is reduced to six months before seeing an expert if the woman is over 35 years old.)

Regardless of whether you’re in the early stages of trying to conceive or have been trying for a while, here are a few science-backed tips that may help get your body primed for fertility success.

Research on alcohol-use disorders consistently shows problem drinking decreases as we age. Also called, "maturing out," these changes generally begin during young adulthood and are partially caused by the roles we take on as we become adults. Now, researchers collaborating between the University of Missouri and Arizona State University have found evidence that marriage can cause dramatic drinking reductions even among people with severe drinking problems. Scientists believe findings could help improve clinical efforts to help these people, inform public health policy changes and lead to more targeted interventions for young adult problem drinkers.

For the most part, when we think of shame we think of awful situations like abuse or rape. But shame has a way of showing up in much more subtle ways, which unfortunately, can do considerable damage to your relationship if not promptly dealt with. Here are two examples of how shame can creep up on us, followed by a couple of tips to address your shame head-on.

Situation #1
The family finances are in dire straits. Your spouse lost their job over a year ago, the family savings are negative, and your job isn’t covering even the stripped-down suck-it-up family budget.

Some degree of stress in our lives is normal and helps to motivate us to achieve our goals. We may develop bad habits to deal with prolonged or excessive stress, such as consuming too much caffeine, smoking, becoming emotional overeaters, drinking too much alcohol, or becoming shopaholics. It takes more than willpower to change negative habits. Take the following steps to change them effectively so that you will not get discouraged.

Older married couples with the same drinking habits--whether they partake, or abstain – --tend to be happier than couples where only one partner drinks, researchers say.

Based on data for a nationally representative sample of U.S. couples over age 50, the study found that women, in particular, were more dissatisfied over time when only they, and not their husband, drank.

Giving your kids the keys to a car is one of the scariest moments of parenthood. "Will they make safe choices?" is always a parents’ haunting concern. I was involved in a Dateline special where we watched teens make decisions in what appeared to be potentially dangerous situations.

* Will they get into a car with a teen they think has been drinking?
* What about with a driver who says he is high?
* Which—if any—teen say, "No" to a peer and refuses to get into that car?

My husband feels that he has a right to go away about once a month with "the boys." It makes me feel uncomfortable. I know most of his friends well and could only imagine what some of them are like when they are away from their wives. I’m aware that they are drinking and playing cards most of the night, but who knows what else is going on. Do I have a right to be upset about this? ~ Sara G., San Diego, California

It is important for each partner in a relationship to have a healthy sense of individuality. This means that most couples truly benefit from maintaining at least a few separate interests outside of work, home, and shared marriage or family activities.