Substance Use Disorders and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration among Male and Female Offenders

I realized pretty quickly that I had too many questions about substances and addiction, and I needed to start doing research, attend trainings and practice asking the questions. What I found through all of this was that in my attempt to be mindful and nonjudgmental about someone’s situation, by not asking any questions or addressing substance use with the survivor, I was inadvertently creating more shame for them. The people we work with are often stigmatized, ostracized and judged because of the domestic violence alone—add substance use/misuse/abuse/dependency to the situation and that judgment grows exponentially. Often times we can feel helpless, especially around the use of substances as a coping mechanism, because it’s not our area of expertise. But even when focusing specifically on domestic violence, the numbers are cause for concern. Research has found that 30–40% of men and 27–34% of women involved in intimate partner violence were drinking alcohol at the time.

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If you or a loved one struggles with alcohol and spousal abuse, Avenues Recovery is here to help. Reach out to us for the support and guidance you need to break the cycle of alcohol and domestic violence and rebuild a healthier future. Alcohol can increase the risk of violent behavior by lowering inhibitions and impairing judgment, but it doesn’t cause violence in people who don’t already have aggressive tendencies.

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In response to these issues, a federal Technical Expert Meeting was convened in October 2019 to improve understanding about the prevalence and impact of substance use coercion and to generate recommendations for policy, research, and practice. Regardless, substance abuse is one of the primary domestic violence causes, and the link between domestic violence and substance abuse cannot be ignored. Since substance abuse does not always lead to one developing violent tendencies, there are many debates around whether or substance abuse and domestic violence not substance abuse does, in fact, beget domestic violence or if it amplifies a pre-existing condition or disorder. Domestic violence is the intentional physical, psychological, emotional or sexual abuse of a partner or family member upon another.

Does alcohol make someone more likely to commit domestic violence?

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Other research indicates that a battered woman may use substances with her abuser in order to attempt to manage the violence and increase her safety; her abuser may also force her to use substances with him. Heavy drinkers—especially those with alcohol dependence—are over 3.4× more likely to commit intimate partner violence compared to non-drinkers. Research shows that, to numb the physical and emotional pain of family violence, victim-survivors may start using substances.

Substance abuse and family violence often follow repeating cycles that become harder to break over time. Understanding these patterns helps explain why both problems persist even when people want to change. Below, we delve into key dimensions of substance-linked domestic violence, including demographic patterns, economic burdens, intervention effectiveness, children’s exposure, and emerging prevention strategies.

Likewise, Hydén (1994) found in her study of 20 Swedish couples that men were more likely to depict violence as Oxford House bilateral and transactional elements of disputes and arguments that had escalated, while their female partners referred to the violence as assaults. Our study elaborates the differential narratives through which such gender differences are played out where one or both partners use and are in treatment for substance use. Male participants described intoxication with alcohol and cannabis and craving and withdrawal from heroin and crack leading to isolated incidents of perceived uncharacteristic violence in the context of escalating disputes.

Substance Use Disorders and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration among Male and Female Offenders

However, an abusive partner who is using drugs must decide for themselves to seek help for both their abusive behavior and their substance abuse. Being in an abusive relationship is already a difficult and dangerous situation. When a partner is under the influence, the risk of all types of abuse (physical, emotional, financial, sexual, and technology-facilitated) increases, leading to a very troubling situation. Substance abuse is a significant risk factor for IPV, but violence is rooted in power, control, and other factors like trauma and mental health; substances can lower inhibitions and intensify aggression, but they are not an excuse or a cause.

The Cycle of (Substance) Abuse

• With integrated, trauma-informed treatment, safety planning, and compassionate support, people recover from both domestic violence and substance use.
• Recovery from both domestic violence and substance abuse is possible with appropriate support and treatment.
• For outcome measurement, 2 studies used violent conviction from official records (65, 69) and 1 reported intimate partner violence from the partner’s report (62).
• If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or domestic violence, don’t hesitate to seek help.
• AddictionResource.net, and its parent company Recovery Guide LLC, is not a treatment provider and does not offer medical advice or clinical services.
• This approach acknowledges the trauma’s impact and provides a safe, supportive environment for recovery.

In the United States, among individuals with 12-month and lifetime drug use disorders, only 14% and 25% received treatment, respectively (87). Thus, more efforts should be made to improve accessibility of treatment for individuals with drug use disorders. Together, the treatability of drug use disorders, unmet needs, and risk of adverse outcomes present an opportunity to improve public health and safety. The relationship between domestic violence and substance abuse is symbiotic — they live off of each other.

Meanwhile, all those suppressed emotions flood forward with nothing to contain them. Anger that might have been expressed through words instead erupts as physical violence. Guilt and shame, rather than being processed healthily, get redirected outward as aggression toward others.

In relationships where women were not dependent substance users, they reported the combined effects of psychological and financial abuse often linked to recurring patterns of substance use and relapse. Access to the narratives of both partners in abusive relationships provides insights into the dynamic of IPV perpetration by men in treatment for substance use. It is in highlighting the differences between how men and women in the same couples tell these stories that our study is unique (Neal & Edwards, 2017) and has the potential to inform treatment. Longitudinal qualitative dyad studies are needed to understand how IPV and substance use impact relationships and substance use over time.