The Combination of Domestic Abuse and Alcohol

The Combination of Domestic Abuse and Alcohol Relationships Violence and Abuse Print The Combination of Domestic Abuse and Alcohol By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Daniel B. Block, MD on November 21, 2019 twitter linkedin Daniel B. Block, MD, is an award-winning, board-certified psychiatrist who operates a private practice in Pennsylvania. Learn about our Medical Review Board Daniel B. Block, MD on November 21, 2019 Mixmike / Getty Images More in Relationships Violence and Abuse Spouses & Partners LGBTQ Statistics seem to indicate a connection between alcohol and drug abuse and domestic violence, but some researchers question the cause-and-effect relationship. Studies of domestic violence frequently document high rates of alcohol and another drug  (AOD) involvement, and AOD use is known to impair judgment, reduce inhibition, and increase aggression. Alcoholism and child abuse, including incest, seem also to be connected. High Rate of Alcohol Use On the surface, it seems hard to argue with the numbers reported in domestic violence research studies. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that two-thirds of victims of spousal violence report that the perpetrator had been drinking. In a global study of intimate partner violence, the odds  were higher worldwide in relationships where one or both partners had problems with alcohol, compared to relationships where neither of them did. No Cause-and-Effect Relationship? But those who study the dynamics of domestic abuse say there is no real research to indicate that alcoholism and drug abuse causes domestic violence. Although research indicates that among men who drink heavily, there is a higher rate of assaults resulting in injury, the majority of men classified as high-level drinkers do not abuse their partners. Also, many of the physically abusive incidents occur in the absence of alcohol use. An Overlap in Social Problems According to the Womens Rural Advocacy Program, no evidence supports a cause-and-effect relationship between the two problems. The relatively high incidence of alcohol abuse among men who batter must be viewed as the overlap of two separate social problems, it claims. According to The Safety Zone, there is no evidence to suggest that alcohol use or dependence is linked to the other forms of coercive behaviors that are part of the pattern of domestic violence. Economic control, sexual violence, and intimidation, for example, are often part of a batterers ongoing pattern of abuse, with little or no identifiable connection to his use of or dependence on alcohol. Battering Is Learned Behavior Battering is a socially learned behavior, and is not the result of substance abuse or mental illness, advocacy groups claim. Men who batter frequently use alcohol abuse as an excuse for their violence. They attempt to rid themselves of responsibility for the problem by blaming it on the effects of alcohol, they say. Alcohol does not and cannot make a man abuse a woman, but it is frequently used as an excuse. Many men drink and do not abuse anyone as a result. On the other hand, many men abuse women when they are sober. It can be easier for some men and for some women to believe that the violence would not have happened if a drink had not been taken. Denial and Minimization Its part of the denial process. Alcoholism and battering do share some similar characteristics. Both may be passed from generation to generation, both involve denial or minimization of the problem, both involve isolation of the family. So, why do batterers do it? How can you tell if you are at risk? If you are in an abusive relationship, what can you do? Stressors That Can Play a Role in Domestic Violence Attacks