Who you date could influence how you drink, according to a new study from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

The study followed the drinking habits of 208 unmarried, heterosexual couples in their 20s (at least one partner in each relationship was in college) over a 28-day period. In all cases, the couples had been dating for at least three months and saw each other a minimum of five days a week. Researchers found they could predict a partner’s binge drinking based on the binge drinking patterns of their partner.

Unlike previous studies, this one found that it wasn’t just men influencing women to drink more: “Binge drinking in university students occurs in both young men and women. Studies with married couples show that men have more of an influence on women, but in our study, we found both young women and young men influence their partner’s binge drinking,” wrote researcher Aislin Mushquash in a press release.

 

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