The Truth About Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence(Guest Post)
The Truth About Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence By Michelle Peterson of Recovery Pride ( RecoveryPride.org) It’s no secret that substance abuse and domestic violence are correlated. Alcoh olics and those who use drugs are more likely to commit spousal abuse than those who don’t. An alarming 61 percent of domestic violence offenders abuse substances and they often blame their explosive behavior on being under the influence. Substance abuse does not cause domestic violence, but because of the strong link between the two, they must be treated simultaneously. Here’s a deeper look on domestic violence, substance abuse, and how to combat both. Domestic violence and power As defined by the Department of Justice, domestic violence is 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. It is a common misconception that those who abuse their partners are always heavily intoxicat...