The Effects of Divorce Relationships are all about give and take, and to maintain them you have to be willing to do the work. Today, marital dissolution is used as an easy way out when couples can no longer get along. When couples decide to divorce, emotions run high and the consequences for the family are not always taken into account. Divorce has become a controversial topic due to the loss of family structure and foundations. For some people, the consequences of divorce are devastating, and for others, it means freedom. What does it mean to live "happily ever after" when divorce rates continue to rise and the option of divorce is available for marriages that aren't working? Divorce has reached an unprecedented level and has become so common in our society that divorce no longer exists. I thought about it a second time. According to DivorceRate.org, the divorce rate in the United States is 50%, meaning that one in two marriages ends in divorce. The divorce rate in America for first marriages is 41 percent, for second marriages 60 percent, and for third marriages 73 percent (DivorceRate.org, 2010). The question when ending a marriage is: what happened and who gave up first? As a member of the divorce club, this is a question I have had to ask myself many times. Unfortunately, I went through divorce twice. With each marriage lasting only seven years and taking up 14 years of my life, I constantly re-evaluate why my personal relationships never last. Were the failures in my relationships due to lack of communication, intimacy issues, or simply pushing past each other to where enough was enough? Relationships are part of our daily lives; we have both knowledge and committed relationships. Relationships can bring...... middle of article......9.Clarke, L. and Berrington, A. (1999). Sociodemographic predictors of divorce. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from http://www.oneplusone.org.uk/Publications/ReviewPapers/1%20-%20Socio-demographic%20predictors%20of%20divorce.pdfGood relationships require good communications (January 22, 2007). . Retrieved July 5, 2010 from http://www.counseling.org/Publications/CounselingCorner.aspx?AGuid=a6a51412-ea3a-49ae-9a90-8119e745105dLucas, RE (2005). Time does not heal all wounds. A longitudinal study of reaction and adaptation to divorce. Psychological Science, 16, 945-950. Retrieved July 6, 2010, from http://www.psych.umn.edu/courses/spring06/stegerm/psy1905/articles/lucas%202005.pFagan, P. and Rector, R. (June 5, 2000). The Effects of Divorce on America. Retrieved July 6, 2010, from http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2000/06/The-Effects-of-Divorce-on-America