Going dry or getting divorced?

Doing ‘dry January’ is pretty popular and commonly talked about.
The month of January isn’t popular just for being dry…this is less talked about though…

January is often referred to as the “divorce month” as traditionally, Divorce Day lands on the first working day of January.

In 2021, the average divorce rate in the UK was 42%, whilst globally it is 48%. There are of course many reasons behind this high rate of divorces, but infidelity is one of the most commonly cited reasons for divorce in the UK according to the Office of National Statistics.

Despite infidelity being so common all over the world, those of us who have experienced it are hesitant to share our stories. Infidelity, its consequences, and its impact (on everyone involved, not just the betrayed) isn’t talked about enough and there isn’t enough common understanding about it. Investigate UK reports that 25.4 percent of married men and 18.3 percent of married women have committed adultery at least once during their marriage.

According to LA Intelligence Detective Agency:

• 30 to 60 percent of married couples will cheat at least once in their marriage
• 74 percent of men and 68 percent of women admit they’d cheat if it was guaranteed they’d never get caught
• An average affair lasts two years
• 69 percent of marriages break up as a result of an affair being discovered

Infidelity seems like one of our society’s worst-kept dirty little secrets. We all know it’s happening, yet we approach it thinking, That will never happen to me, despite the statistics suggesting quite a high likelihood for a lot of us. Although infidelity is rightfully considered a bad thing, not talking about it means the real underlying issues and effects—like trust issues or a deep sense of unworthiness—are simply brushed under the carpet.