Correlation between Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse - Essay Example

VIOLENCE Substance abuse and domestic violence There are definitive links that have been proven between substance abuse and domestic violence. Substance abuse, especially alcohol abuse, tends to exacerbate these kinds of situations: the person abusing the substance is trying to ease their stress, but in the process more stress is acutally created. In many cases, when people cannot control their impulses in the first place, alcohol and other substances makes this impulse control problem even worse. “As reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, 75% of those who were the victims of some type of attack by a spouse indicted that their spouse had been consuming alcohol before the attack. Numerous other studies have found an association between domestic violence and substance abuse” (Substance, 2009). This domestic violence can be between two adults, but all too many times, domestic violence also involves children. Many scholars have determined a statistical link that can work to show a correlation between domestic violence and child welfare which may also be of interest to those interested in forecasting the future of child abuse and neglect in the context of substance abuse, in terms of policy formation and integration of departmental objectives within the control system. For example, in the early 1980s, “Lenore Walker observed the link between domestic violence and child abuse. In interviews with 400 battered women, Walker found that 53% of the fathers and 28% of the mothers abused their children (1984, p. 59)” (Schechter and Edleson, 1994). The atmosphere of violence, according to these statistics, tends to perpetuate itself and continue over time, so the future may see a positive development along these lines. Looking at domestic abuse generally, one must also specifically look at terminology of abuse such as discrete and episodic violence. Violence is often being used to abuse children and adults in the domestic sphere as being pushing, shouting, and yelling. In terms of violence, there is a lot of psychological and sexual abuse that goes on as well, and this does not concentrate only on physical abuse. This makes the definition of violence broader. In terms of physical abuse, this facet of domestic violence can be divided into sections of mild abuse, severe abuse, and abuse resulting in injury. For psychological abuse, which, almost always accompanies physical abuse, there are also categories. These are those of verbal aggression, such as shouting and yelling; emotional manipulation, such as using shame and humiliation to control an individual or make them not tell about the abuse; and dominance and restriction, in which the individual is isolated and could be harder to reach. Substance abuse, as mentioned above, is an exacerbating factor in many domestic violence situations. It is one thing to talk about brain chemistry, but one must keep in mind as well that addictive personality and addiction are social problems that can be connected with many other problems in terms of their causes. For example, alcoholics increase their risks of injuring others and having other problems of judgment. Alcohol is legal and readily available, and has also been proven to be addictive. It is also a drug. There is a process in which the individual starts taking the drug and becomes acclimated to it, before they feel as if, physically or psychologically, they do more than just crave it; they need it. Some drugs only have a psychological addiction, but alcoholism is a very real physical addiction. The individual first enjoys the substance, and then begins to feed a physical and psychological craving for it that they are unable to control. In essence, they are out of control at this point. But the main question seems to be, is the individual at fault for becoming a substance abuser? It seems that very few people actually set out with the explicit intention of becoming an alcoholic or substance abuser and ruining their lives. They start out by wanting to kill the pain or relieve stress and anxiety, and then, eventually, they find that they cannot put down the bottle, or put down the substance abuse implement. Domestic violence in the gay community Domestic violence and substance abuse also is a major issue in the gay community, or as it is more often and more sensitively called, the gay lesbian bisexual and transsexual community (GLBT community). According to one study, the rates of domestic violence in same-sex relationships is just about the same as domestic violence against heterosexual women, but one problem is that in the GLBT community, the abuse may be even more under-reported than it is in the straight community. “Facing a system which is often oppressive and hostile towards those who identify as anything other than "straight", those involved in same-gender battering frequently report being afraid of revealing their sexual orientation or the nature of their relationship” (Same Sex, 2009). In addition, the people who are not scared away and who come forward to report domestic violence in a GLBT relationship, run into further bureaucratic obstacles to encounter. Dealing with the police and judges as a so-called normal indiviudal is difficult enough, but an out of the closet gay individual faces the strong possibility of getting a different level of service from more people, due to personal attitudes about the GLBT community. “Although much advancement has been made in the provision of services, the enforcement of the law, and the equality of protections available to those in GLBT relationships over the last decade, it is important for you to be aware of your rights and options as they relate to your attempt to escape an abusive relationship.” (Same Sex, 2009). Substance abuse effects Drug addiction involves attachment in the individual to the substance that is being abused. From alcohol and cigarettes to illegal drugs, addictive properties differ widely, which, from a healthcare perspective, puts more emphasis due to the holistic nature of the definition of drug abuse on psychological mechanisms. That is, the biorhythmic and other systems, including the respiratory system and the neurological system, can be looked at from the perspective of how drug abuse affects the individual in terms of looking at what makes them crave drugs and engage in the cyclical and often devastating behavior of addiction. Some authors have hypothesized that this cycle of drug abuse “is the expression of internal operational models of attachment, composed of a set of conscious and unconscious rules, needed in the organization of relevant information for attachment. To modulate the use of this information, the operational models govern emotions, attention, memory, cognitive processes and, ultimately, behavior” (Ravera and Bertolli, 1995). And when the patient cannot understand the educational material, this process is exacerbated. Generally, an addiction can be defined as an association that an individual has with easing the stress in their lives and making them feel more comfortable. This is generally the cause of addictions, when this stress relief turns into something that the person begins to plan their whole existence around it. Sometimes in extreme cases people who are addicted to substances will also go to extreme lengths to procure the substance in question, if it is an addictive substance. People are generally also not up front to others about their addiction, as mentioned above. As one source notes, when the person with an addiction problem is confronted about it, they usually go into denial about there being a problem, even if on the inside they are thinking that their addictive behavior is something they regret and have tried to quit many times (Substance, 2009). Instead of admitting this, the addicted person might try to defend or rationalize the addiction and tell themselves that they still have control over their lives rather than the substance having control. In terms of specific causes, there are many theories, and there are also many theories as to treatment. The effects of substance abuse are revealed in the individual’s personal circle of acquaintance. Statistics The Bureau of Justice Statistics indicated that in 1998 85% of crimes committed against partners were committed against women; “Instances of domestic violence that involve alcohol use may result in more severe injuries than those that do not involve alcohol. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that, among those who had been accused of murdering their spouse, half were consuming alcohol when the crime was committed. In 1998, murders of spouses or partners accounted for 11% of all murders in the United States” (Substance, 2009). There are various empirical perspectives on the issue and different presentations that can be sought specifically in terms of demographic and geographic statistics. REFERENCE Preboth, M. (2001). Brochures on Substance Abuse—Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. American Family Physician. Ravera, Furio, and Roberto Bertolli (1995). Psychopathological Aspects of Drug Addiction. Journal of the American Medical Association. Schechter, Susan, and Jeffrey L. Edleson (1994). In the Best Interest of Women and Children: A Call for Collaboration Between Child Welfare and Domestic Violence Constituencies. MINCAVA. Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence(2001). National Institute of Mental Health. Same sex domestic violence (2009). http://www.aardvarc.org/dv/gay.shtml Substance abuse and domestic violence (2009). http://www.sayno.com/substance-abuse-and-domestic-violence.html Read More