SubADV

It is not true that alcohol or drugs cause a person to perpetrate violent acts. In fact, there is no evidence which supports a cause-and-effect relationship between substance abuse and violence. As one professional in the field put it: "Drinking does not cause beating. If it did, then they [batterers who abuse alcohol] would beat strangers on the street." (Domestic Violence Division, Metro Nashville Police Department, as sited at www.telalink.net/~police/abuse/index.html).

In fact, it is a well-known truth that batterers who abuse their intimate partners and children don't simply "lose control" and commit "an act of passion". Rather these individuals choose or select who they will perpetrate their violence upon, and further, they often decide how much injury or pain they wish to inflict and how much they don't before becoming violent. For instance, one abusive man might slap his wife, but would draw the line at punching her with his fist. Another might punch her, but would never shoot or stab her. This same abuser might become just as angry at his employer, but somehow manage to control his emotions and never become violent or even raise his voice.

However, it is conceded that alcohol or drug abuse often contributes to a batterer's abusive behavior. In the Discovery Health television channel's series, Minds to Crime, biological and neurological reasons for anti-social and/or violent behavior are explored. Scientific studies have revealed that the brains of impulsive, chronically violent offenders typically possess low serotonin levels, a chemical that is critical to the functions of the portion of the brain that controls aggression.

It is interesting to note that low serotonin levels have also been found in the brains of persons whose self-esteem is low. Scientists speculate that the lack of serotonin in the brain may serve to stimulate aggression in some individuals, thereby assisting them in making dramatic changes in their social status and circumstances, which in turn increases self-esteem and likewise, serotonin levels. Not by coincidence, perhaps, has it been established by some studies that the brains of suicidal persons also commonly reveal low serotonin levels.

Scientists have further determined that serotonin levels in the brain can be dramatically affected by alcohol. According to Professor Frank Wood, Neuro-Psychologist at Lake Forest University Medical Center, alcohol initially appears to be a stimulant, when in fact, "...alcohol depresses the nervous system and reduces brain arousal, generally further eroding such an individual's impulse control."

Additionally, it has been credibly established that when a person deliberately changes the "chemical mix" of their metabolism, that person may unintentionally promote his or her own violence, as in the case of usage of certain types of steroids, or in the mixing of alcohol with certain types of other drugs, such as heroine or cocaine. Still, medical health authorities concede that serotonin is not the key to violence, nor is biology the cause or explanation for violence. Other factors, such as environment, social status, circumstances, attitudes and learned behaviors also figure in.

The Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, New York, states: "The belief that alcoholism causes domestic violence evolves both from a lack of information about the nature of this abuse and from adherence to the "disinhibition theory". This theory suggests that the physiological effects of alcohol include a state of lowered inhibitions in which an individual can no longer control his behavior.

Research conducted within the alcoholism field, however, suggests that the most significant determinant of behavior after drinking is not the physiological effect of the alcohol itself, but the expectation that individuals place on the drinking experience (Marlatt & Rohsenow, 1980)...Despite the research findings, the belief that alcohol lowers inhibitions persists and along with it, a historical tradition of holding people who commit crimes while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs less accountable than those who commit crimes in a sober state (MacAndrew & Edgerton, 1969)." (The False Connection Between Adult Domestic Violence and Alcohol, Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV), New York State. http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/health_humsvc/substance/language.html)

There is evidence to support the belief that some batterers will purposely abuse alcohol or other substances so they may feel at liberty, under socially acceptable norms, to behave in an abusive fashion (for example: "I didn't mean to hit her, but I was drunk, so..."). But there is no excuse for abuse, ever. Batterers must be held accountable for battering behavior. The victim of abuse is never responsible for being abused or for the batterer's abusive actions. Rather, the batterer is responsible for his/her actions.

Some characteristic differences between alcoholics and alcoholic batterers are suggested below (adapted from information provided by YWCA Crisis Center, Enid, Oklahoma, 1997):

Alcoholics:

Experience changes in personality;
Conceal, deny and appear to have little or no control over their drinking habits;
Eventually cannot maintain family and/or social relationships;
Often refuse accountability for problems with employers, finances, relationships, etc.;
Often have difficulty with employment;
Often have health problems;
Often engage their families in destructive patterns of stress, concealment and denial.
Alcoholic batterers:

Experience changes in personality;
Conceal, deny and appear to have little or no control over their drinking habits;
Eventually cannot maintain social relationships;
Often refuse accountability for problems with employers, finances, relationships, etc.;
Often have difficulty with employment;
Often have health problems;
Always engage their family in destructive patterns of stress, concealment and denial;
Establish control over family members or intimate partners through abusive drinking and abusive behavior;
Minimize and deny their violence;
May experience black-outs or loss of memory during violent episodes;
Are often severely violent due to loss of control;
Possess an enhanced capacity to initiate violence;
Do not accept responsibility for their violence, but rather tend to blame their violence on external stress, their victim or the alcohol itself;
Are usually highly dependent on their partners.
It is significant that batterers who abuse while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs may be exceptionally brutal in their assaults--more so than if the violent attack were committed sober or free of chemicals that may be mind or mood altering. Evidence suggests that substance abuse increases the frequency and severity of traumatic violent episodes and injuries resulting from abuse perpetrated while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs may result in more severe injuries than if the violence had been committed sober or drug-free.

Some studies have found that more than 50% of abusive men use or are addicted to some substance (Crites and Coker 1988). However, there is also ample evidence that abusive behavior does not necessarily stop when the batterer overcomes his substance dependency. Men who proved physically abusive while under the influence of alcohol or other substances have also admitted to violent episodes while not using alcohol or drugs (Steinmetz 1977).

According to the Office for Prevention of Domestic Violence: "Even for batterers who do drink, there is little evidence to suggest a clear pattern that relates the drinking to the abusive behavior. The majority (76%) of physically abusive incidents occur in the absence of alcohol use (Kantor & Straus, 1987), and 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." (The False Connection Between Adult Domestic Violence and Alcohol, OPDV.)

Lenore Walker's 1984 study of 400 battered women revealed that 67% of batterers frequently abused alcohol. However, after collecting data on the individual case studies following four separate battering incidents, it was found that only 1/5 of the batterers had abused alcohol during each of the four incidents studied (Walker 1980 and 1984). In another batterers program, 80% of the men had abused alcohol at the time of their latest battering incident. But the overwhelming majority of the men in the group also reported battering their partners when not under the influence or alcohol.

Obviously, batterers will batter, regardless of sobriety or chemical dependency. There are many alcoholics or substance abusers who do not batter or otherwise abuse their partners, just as there are many who do.

Likewise, survivors of domestic violence may turn to mind-altering or mood-altering chemicals to decrease feelings of loneliness, isolation, and helplessness or to numb anxiety and depression. As previously stated, according to The Commonwealth Fund for The Commission on Women's Health (Second Addition, March 1996), women who report domestic violence are more likely than other women to also abuse drugs and alcohol. These women are, in fact, 16 times as likely to become alcoholics and 9 times as likely to abuse drugs as women who are not abused (Tiernan, Tulsa World, 10/5/1997).

Some batterers use their partner's alcohol or drug dependency as an excuse for their battering (i.e., "I've warned her what I would do if I caught her drinking" or "When she's drunk, I have to be physical with her to make her...behave/do something/or not do something".) There is no justification, however, for violent behavior under any circumstances.

Evolving from the myth that alcohol or substance abuse causes domestic violence is the greater myth that treatment for the dependency will stop the violence. The Office for Prevention of Domestic Violence states: "Battered women with drug-dependent partners...consistently report that during recovery, the abuse not only continues, but often escalates, creating greater levels of danger than existed prior to their partners' abstinence." (The False Connection Between Adult Domestic Violence and Alcohol, OPDV).

While substance abuse can and does increase the likelihood of committing violent acts, not coincidentally, substance abuse will increase the vulnerability to abuse as well. Quoted from the 1996 Paper, "Violence Against Women in the United States", prepared by The Commission on Women's Health for The Commonwealth Fund: "Given the strong link between drugs and violence, it is not surprising that studies of women drug abusers document a nearly universal history of violence (Wallace 1991; Paone et al. 1992; Fullilove et al. 1993)."

As the number of violent acts associated with substance abuse increase, so have the number of victims of violence. Among women involved in the crack subculture, for example, experiences of violence are very common. In one study of 105 women in recovery from crack addiction, 87% reported at least one experience of violent trauma (Fullilove et al. 1993.) Some experts in the field of substance abuse treatment feel that there is evidence to support the claim that while alcohol or drugs may not be present in 100% of the incidents of domestic violence reported, nevertheless, virtually 100% of the women who report substance abusing lifestyles also report one or more episodes of violence perpetrated against them. The inescapable conclusion is that domestic violence does not always involve substance abuse, but habitual substance abuse may always be a prelude to experiencing some form of violent assault.

Statistics specific to Oklahoma reflect that 70% of the women incarcerated in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections are in prison because they committed drug-related crimes. To place this figure in more sharply focused perspective, it is noted that Oklahoma ranks first in the nation in its rate of incarceration of women. A local survey conducted by Neighborhood Services Organization (NSO) found that 30%-40% of homeless children in shelters around the State have parents who are chemically dependent (Eagle Ridge Institute 1993).

These figures may be higher than the national average for American Indian groups. Statistics reveal that alcohol dependency among Native American is approximately three times that of the general population. Native Americans are also ten times more likely to die due to alcohol-related illnesses than persons from other races and depression is the most commonly reported psychological disorder. Consequently, suicide is 1.3 times as prevalent among Native Americans as it is in the general population. (Eagle Ridge Institute 1993/Indian Health Services)

Some substance abuse experts feel that inhalant abuse is on the rise among Native American populations in Oklahoma. Inhalants are generally affordable, easily obtained and the "high" that results from the use of the substance is powerful, intense and successfully numbs the user to circumstances or emotions that seem overwhelming. Inhalants are highly addictive and the addiction is particularly difficult to treat. Use of inhalants also results in brain damage.

Three out of four domestic violence cases involving Native Americans are alcohol-related and arrest rates for Indian people under the influence of alcohol are double that of any other race. Rates for incarceration of Indians is nearly four times higher than that of all groups surveyed. Further, Native Americans are most likely to know their assailant, most likely to suffer an alcohol-related offense, and most likely to be assaulted by a member of another race. (Flynn, Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics as reported in Oklahoma Indian Times, 3/1999 issue).

It is indisputable that alcoholism and substance abuse are problems closely intertwined with the problem of domestic violence. When alcoholism and/or drug abuse are predominant, prevailing conditions in a relationship, the incidence of domestic violence (and sexual assault) increase dramatically. Despite these facts, very little has been done in either the addictions treatment field or the crisis intervention field to develop intervention strategies that address concurrently chemical dependency problems in batterers or chemical dependency in victims of battering.

Through the addictions treatment system, these issues tend to be most often approached from an addiction framework perspective, but this perspective too often identifies battering as an addiction or as a symptom of alcohol or substance abuse. The addictions treatment framework also tends to assume that there is a point at which the batterer can no longer control his substance abuse, and it may therefore also be erroneously assumed that there may be a point at which a batterer can no longer control his violence. Obviously, approaching batterer intervention from this perspective will more often than not have harmful consequences for the batterer's victim. As a result, treatment programs that promote sobriety do not usually address batterer intervention techniques.

Again for obvious reasons, victims of substance abusing batterers should never be referred to so-called "co-dependency" self-help groups that encourage group members to define personal boundaries or set limits on their partners' behavior. The same programs that may be helpful to persons whose substance abusing partners are not batterers may, in fact, serve to place the partner of a substance abusing batterer in more precarious and dangerous circumstances. Should the victim, as a result of co-dependency education decide to assert rights or display behavior that the batterer finds unacceptable or threatening to his control over the victim, the consequence will most likely be an escalation of the violence in the relationship. Co-dependency programs may also encourage a victim to increased feelings of self-blaming or guilt for her abuse, or encourage her to accept even greater responsibility for her partner's violent behavior.

For victims of domestic violence who themselves have substance abuse issues, access to safe shelter may be limited or completely unavailable. Lack of training in the treatment of chemical dependencies, misinformation and misconceptions on the part of advocates, along with shelter policies precluding admission of substance abusing victims of domestic violence, often result in the denial of intervention services and options that are available to non-chemically dependent victims.

Since the substance abuse treatment field primarily works from a medical model that recognizes chemical dependency as a disease while the crisis intervention field primarily approaches domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking from a socio-political base, conflicts naturally result. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly apparent to professionals working in both fields that programs which adequately and effectively address the problems of domestic violence and chemical dependency con-currently must be developed.

Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence

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