1 in 4 behaviour divorces caused by alcohol abuse during lockdown

their spouse’s drinking has increased above and beyond any other reasons

Research carried by UK online divorce company Divorce-online.co.uk has found that during the key part of the UK national lockdown, nearly 1 in 4 behaviour-based divorce petitions prepared by the company mentioned alcohol abuse as a key reason for the divorce being filed.

The company prepared 700 behaviour petitions between 31st March and 31st August 2020 and 180 mentioned drinking or alcohol abuse.

The next most common reasons were lack of communication/interaction and a lack of support with children and housework.

A spokesperson for the company said,” We’ve seen addiction to alcohol and drugs among other things mentioned in divorce petition as a reason for the marriage breakdowns. In this regard, it is nothing new. However, the increase in the number of Petitioners mentioning their spouse’s drinking has increased above and beyond any other reasons
.
“These now include online pornography and online gaming, so it is no surprise to us that more and more people are having relationship problems because of our digital addictions.”

There have been many studies done on alcohol consumption during the lockdown period. Here are the main key points to take from the survey conducted by AlcoholChange.org.uk

1. 28% of people surveyed agreed that they have drunk more alcohol than usual during the lockdown period in the UK.

2. People in work were more likely to agree that they had been drinking more than non-working people.
3. 32% of 35-54-year olds admitted to drinking more than before the lockdown.

Another study, this time published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, which was led by the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Health also found that levels of binge drinking had increased

The research was based on data from over 27,000 individuals.

Binge drinking increased from 10.8% in 2017-19 to 16.2% during the UK’s lockdown, as did the proportion of people reporting drinking four or more times a week (13.7% to 22.0%)

Divorce-Online founded in 2000 is one of the largest filers of divorce petitions in the UK.

Contact
mark.keenan@divorce-online.co.uk
01793 211 211