Introduction

Domestic violence is a complex phenomenon. When it occurs, it can rarely be attributed to a single cause; rather, abuse typically sits at the nexus of a complicated network of risk factors. One of the most common of those risk factors is substance use. Around 40%-60% of reported domestic abuse situations involve alcohol or drug use. One meta-analysis found that individuals with a drug abuse disorder are four to ten times more likely to perpetrate.

There are a few potential explanations for this relationship. Drugs and alcohol are both consciousness-altering substances and can result in behavioral changes such as increased aggression, impaired judgment and cognitive function, and lower inhibitions and self-control. All of these can contribute to violent behavior, particularly when paired with other risk factors for domestic violence.

The Connection Between Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence

Though experts agree there is a connection between the two behaviors, its precise nature remains unclear. One researcher writes, “Probably the largest contributing factor to domestic violence is alcohol. All major theorists point to the excessive use of alcohol as a key element in the dynamics of wife beating.  Another expert (Bennett, 1995) observes that If substance abuse affects woman abuse, it does so either directly by disinhibiting normal sanctions against violence or by effecting changes in thinking, physiology, emotion, motivation to reduce tension, or motivation to increase interpersonal power (Graham, 1980). Despite its popularity, the disinhibition model of alcohol aggression is often discredited because of experiments that have found expectation of intoxication a better predictor of aggression than intoxication itself (Lang et al., 1975).

Within this theoretical framework, the societal view of substance abusers as morally weak and controlled by alcohol or other drugs actually serves some batterers: Rather than taking responsibility for their actions, they can blame their violent acts on the substance(s) they are abusing. Although drugs or alcohol may indeed be a trigger for violence, the belief that the violence will stop once the drinking or drug use stops is usually not borne out. The fact remains that nondrinking men also attack their partners, and for some individuals, alcohol actually inhibits violent behavior (Coleman and Straus, 1983).

Batterers — like survivors — often turn to substances of abuse for their numbing effects. Batterers who are survivors of childhood abuse also frequently say that they use drugs and alcohol to block the pain and to avoid confronting that memory. It is a self-perpetuating cycle: Panel members report that batterers say they feel free from their guilt and others’ disapproval when they are high.

Distinguishing Cause and Correlation

However, it’s important to note that alcohol, drugs and domestic violence frequently co-occur, substance use alone does not cause domestic violence. Not everyone who commits abuse uses drugs and or alcohol rather, substance use makes it more likely that someone with abusive tendencies or other risk factors will commit violence.