Wives of alcoholics have a divorce rate lower than the population in general, a study shows. Jacqueline Wiseman of the University of California at San Diego made this discovery while gathering data from 76 American and 50 Finnish women married to alcoholics.
The fidelity of the women cut across age, income, educational and occupational lines, Wiseman said. Their loyalty is based on three types of reasoning:
Some women believe they cannot manage without a man in the house. This group, Wiseman said, ”sinks further into feelings of dependency and inadequacy. They ultimately despair of being able to do anything but grieve about the quality of their lives.”
A second reason women stay with alcoholic husbands is to maintain a certain standard of living. These women believe divorce will leave them in poorer financial straits.
A final justification for hanging on to a drunk is guilt. Women who fall into this category feel a compulsion to take care of their alcoholic mate, Wiseman said. In the minds of the wives, divorce would be tantamount to abandoning a sick friend.
To cope, the wives of alcoholics may look to people other than their husbands for emotional support and a social context. Some women focus on homemaking and child-rearing, Wiseman said, while others work long hours away from home, searching for love and attention.
YO, COMRADE
In the wonder-why-anyone-would-be-interested department comes word of publication of a book that ”highlights living conditions for expatriates in China.” For only $865 Runzheimer International will reveal ”difficult-to-obtain” information about housing, transportation and other costs of living in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
INCISIVE MEMOIR
If you`re not hot to read about Mao`s motherland, perhaps you`d be interested in investing $75 in ”Dentistry: An Illustrated History,” a 311-page opus featuring 300 illustrations published by Harry N. Abrams Inc. of New York and C.V. Mosby Co. of St. Louis.
Although Egyptian Hesi-Re was recognized in 3000 B.C. as ”the greatest of physicians who treat teeth,” dentistry was not accepted as a medical specialty until the 1700s. Before that, a significant amount of tooth work was performed by barbers and blacksmiths. These folks blamed cavities on the toothworm until Anton von Leeuwenhoek stared into his microscope and saw bacteria clinging to teeth.
DARTING ABOUT
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that from 1978 to 1986 6,100 people were treated in emergency rooms for injuries involving lawn darts.
