Introduction and Background Many people who seek domestic violence services, and even more who do not seek services, are dealing with substance abuse issues as well as abuse. The reasons that domestic violence victims begin their substance abuse vary, but can include: use as a coping mechanism in order to survive the abusive situation, a way to deal with abuse of the past, coercion and by an abusive partner, chemical dependency, cultural oppression or a new sense of freedom (Bland & Edmund, 2005). Whatever the reason for substance abuse, it can lead to isolation and shame. These feelings are then often intensified and magnified when domestic violence is occurring at the same time. There is a large societal stigma surrounding both …show more content…
The most dangerous time in an abusive relationship is when the victim tries to leave, and the average person returns to their abuser seven times before leaving for good. According to the 2011 Wisconsin Domestic Violence Homicide Report, there were 40 domestic violence related deaths in Wisconsin in 2011. The deceased in these cases ranged in age from less than a year to 82 years, with one in five of them being under the age of five. Most of these deaths occurred shortly after the victim left their abuser (2012). Substance abuse is defined as a pattern of substance use leading to significant life impairment or hardships; like failure to fulfill obligations, substance use in physically dangerous situations, frequent legal problems related to substance use, or continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Substance abuse is a diagnosable health problem, but often viewed as a moral failing which can compound the issues of people seeking services for sobriety (Bland & Edmund, 2005). Substance abuse can also cause reduced inhibitions, clouded thought processes and lesser abilities to access threats which may cause a person to miss the warning signs of an abusive person. While they may lessen the self -protective instincts of victims, the side effects of substance abuse are often noticed by manipulative
According to the Diagnostic Statistic Manual 5 (DSM-5) substance use disorder is when the individual has a dependency on alcohol or drug, followed by penetrating craving and antisocial behavior to acquire the substance. The terms substance abuse and substance dependence refer to substance use disorder, which has been separated into three classifications as follows
Unfortunately, this is all too common for victims of domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is a known issue, but there are no warning labels for relationships like there are for cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. There is no formal training on what signs to recognize as abusive; but there can be. Domestic abuse may not have an overnight solution but we do possess the power the educate people on the different types of abuse.
Lots of people, abuser and non-abusers blame alcohol and substance for their violent actions. While this may be true it’s not right to say flat out. Yes 93% of the persons causing violence on their spouses were alcoholics (Roleff, Tamara). Alcohol and drugs are in hankers but never and excuse and/or cause. Abuse is a choice (Introduction). Being a society of people who find it the easiest way to get out of a situation is blaming something on another thing. Substance abuse seems pretty common and generic. There are a lot of things that go into abuse before alcohol is brought into the picture. The fact that a spouse is jealous or controlling even just angry is magnified by the effect of alcohol (Roleff, Tamara) it makes everything a whole lot worse. The abuser being affected by alcohol is also a way so the abuser and the person being abused have something to blame it on (Roleff, Tamara). As stated before we are a society of giving out blame.
“Domestic Violence Has Been a Problem Throughout U.S History” and “Prevalence of Domestic Violence in the United States” discusses what contributes to domestic violence. The authors of “Prevalence of Domestic Violence in the United States” provide an informative article about the seriousness of domestic violence. The authors point out that frequent alcohol use contributes to an increase in violence. The have been several studies that indicate a relationship between domestic abuse and the use of alcohol. The author states, “The research indicates that a high percentage of those who engage in marital violence are alcoholics or at least very
Researchers Smith, Homish, Leonard, and Cornelius admit that it is well known that a risk factor for intimate partner violence is substance use. (2012) However, we have a very limited understanding of the association between specific substance use and intimate partner violence. These researchers set out to bring about a deeper understanding of this. For the purpose of this study, researchers examined intimate partner violence in the presence of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and opioid use, as well as poly-substance use of alcohol and cocaine and alcohol and marijuana. (Smith, et al., 2012) Further, this study looked at substance use and intimate partner violence and differentiated between perpetration and victimization. Alcohol and cocaine use disorders were highly associated with intimate partner perpetration whereas cannabis and opioid use disorders were more highly associated with intimate partner victimization. (Smith, et al., 2012) Individuals diagnosed with both an alcohol use disorder and a cannabis use disorder were reported to have a lower likelihood of intimate partner perpetration compared to having the diagnosis of any one substance use disorder. Having a poly-substance use disorder with the combination of alcohol and cocaine increased the likelihood of an individual to perpetrate intimate partner violence. However, if you remove the diagnosis of alcohol use disorder and only have a cocaine use disorder, the
According to “The United States Department of Justice” Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence has different forms sexual, physical, emotional and psychological actions or threats. These forms of treatment can influence another person. There are
Substance abuse is the harmful or dangerous use of any psychoactive substances including drugs, alcohol and even tobacco. The term ‘Substance Abuse’, as understood today was first used in 1987’s DSM-IIIR, before that social & cultural factors were not considered. Even with that change, many Americans still today consider drug and alcohol abuse to be moral weakness or character defect.
There are a number of reasons why domestic violence happens, some reasons could be due to family dysfunction, inadequate communication skills, to gain or maintain control over another person and chemical dependencies.
Women will continue to suffer from domestic violence unless there is some sort of intervention to help them. When dealing with this population, it is essential to create a safe environment where the woman can talk freely about the abuse without any retaliation from the abuser. When someone comes into a therapeutic session, everyone deserves to be treated with respect and care. This in turn will create a sense of hope that a different type of life can be possible. Also, knowing that there is a support system can help the woman begin the process of change. Despite this, the process of leaving the abusive partner is slow (Warshaw, n.d.)
Substance abuse disorders is easily defined when an “individual continues to use the substance despite experiencing negative consequences from their use. These negative consequences can include health problems; difficulties in their family, work, and social life; and financial and legal problems. They are said to be dependent on the substance when,” in addition to theses negative consequences, they build tolerance and experience withdrawal if they stop using the drug” (Martin, 2007, p. 265). Substance abuse dates back to the early Americans colonies with beer that was brought over by the pilgrims and more popularly the ratification of the Constitution to prohibit the use of alcohol
Physical abuse is the use of physical force against someone in a way that injures or endangers a person (Dating Abuse Statistics, 2013). People of all races, education levels, and ages experience domestic abuse (Violence Against Women, 2015). On average nearly twenty people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner (Statistics, 2015). This adds up to ten million men and woman being abused annually in the United States alone (Statistics, 2015). Women from the ages eighteen to twenty-four are the most commonly abused population (Statistics, 2015). Statistics say that eighty-five percent of victims are in fact women (Safe Voices, 2016). One in three women and one in four men have experienced some type of abuse/violence in their lifetime (Statistics, 2015). Most cases of domestic violence are never reported and only thirty-three percent of victims ever tell anyone about their abuse (Safe Voices, 2016).
Another common misperception is the correlation of abuse with gender, race or social class. As Parachin put it: “Abuse can happen to anyone”. Abuse does not only affect women, but men, children, elder, rich, poor and more. Many people on the outside often think it would be easy for the victims to simply leave or just defend themselves. It is not necessarily as simple as saying it. A victim leaving or deciding to leave can depend on circumstances, extended family involved (children), or finances. Also, a victim fighting back could be a helpless situation in some cases. Another myth is that alcohol and drugs are causes of abuse. This is not correct. While these substances can accelerate the magnitude of the abuse or violence, they are not the root cause. Parachin also discussed myths about blame, action and therapy. There are simply no excuses for abuse. The abuser is the only one at fault and responsible for their acts. People often think its best to stay out of the way of abuse at their vision, when in reality; by speaking up, they
Domestic violence is defined as a persistent pattern of abusive behavior in a relationship in which it’s used for one partner to gain power and control over the other. Such violence may be physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological. According to The National Domestic Violence Hotline, an average of 24 people per minute in the United States are victims of some sort of domestic abuse by an intimate partner. Unfortunately, many of these victims suffer physical, psychological and social side effects.
In this paper I will be addressing the correlation that is between substance abuse and domestic violence. There are many factors that play a role in why domestic violence occurs in a home; this paper will be focusing on the factor of drug abuse in particularly. Early on in the course we learned that domestic violence does not only pertain to intimate partner violence but also to child abuse, elder abuse, and any other abuse of a person that occurs with inside the home. I will be providing research from scholarly journals that support the findings that substance abuse is related to domestic violence on all levels (intimate partner violence, child abuse, and elderly abuse).
I decided to pick this topic because I was a victim of domestic violence, likely due to substance abuse at one point in time. Every single day was miserable and I had nowhere to go. I didn’t even know that he was using drugs. He was a few years older than me and I was naïve about what was happening. After several months, I was finally able to have my mom help me move back to Arizona. I have moved on from that chapter in my life, but I have always been curious about the relationship between domestic violence and substance abuse. Therefore, I want to find out if different drugs produce different outcomes, statistically speaking. I know that different drugs have different effects on the individual’s mental health, so I wanted to expand on that and find out the influence of different drugs on domestic violence.