Alcohol, Drugs, And Domestic Violence
Family violence - or male aggression against women in a relationship setting - also known as domestic violence (DV) is most certainly a devastating social and moral problem in our society; but it is also a serious police problem, and an expensive health problem. In fact, the annual health care cost associated with the manifestations of DV is estimated to run as high as $857 million in the United States (Rodiguez, et al., 2001). But moreover, DV takes a toll on American families that is much greater than any dollar amount could ever reflect - and, in addition, DV is a social blemish on the face of America that seems to be getting worse, not better. The "causes" of violence in the family - why men act aggressively against their wives and girlfriends and even their children - are varied and complicated; but in too many cases, the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs is factored into the equation. And while there is a dearth of empirical, clinical research directly linking alcohol's chemical influence on the brain - alcohol is of course a drug - to male aggression against women, there exists a plethora of circumstantial evidence making that specific connection.
Introduction / Thesis
This paper will examine the question of violence and drugs / alcohol in depth: indeed, what factual research is presently available surrounding the issue of alcohol and its connection to male aggression towards women and families? Why are alcohol and drugs a pivotal part of that brutal phenomenon? The paper will also provide research into the question: are there emerging remedies and solutions for DV? What can be done? Clearly, there has, as yet, been no "cure-all" program or solution devised to keep the abuse of alcohol and drugs - and violence against women - in check, but this salient question will be addressed: are there steps families can take to avoid become statistics in the ongoing scourge of booze, drugs, and violence in the family? And what about victims - are their plans and programs to care for their needs, and/or prevent recurrences of assaults upon them? America prides itself on being a nation of laws - but is the U.S. popular culture too steeped in aggression as entertainment - and alcohol as a cool, manly thing to do - to expect a reduction in domestic cruelty to women?
Alcohol/Drug-related family violence doesn't occur in a social vacuum
It's important at the outset to recognize that the dynamics of DV - and violence against women in intimate relationships where there is no matrimony or family affiliation - has numerous and varied causes, well beyond the issue of a male over-consuming alcohol and/or drugs. One of the most frequent and verifiable links to understanding DV is the dynamic of individuals in the low income bracket: "Poverty...increases risk [of DV] through effects on conflict, women's power, and male identity" (Jewkes, 2002). "Violence is used as a strategy in conflict," Jewkes states. "Relationships full of conflict, especially those in which conflicts occur about finances, jealousy, and women's gender role transgressions are more violent...[and] heavy alcohol consumption increases risk of violence." Further, Jewkes reports that violence is "frequently" used to "resolve a crisis of male identity," caused, again, by poverty. "Circumstances in which the woman, but not her partner, is working, convey additional risk," Jewkes adds. "In some settings, men have described using alcohol in a premeditated manner to enable them to beat their partner because they feel this is socially expected of them... [and] men are more likely to act violently when drunk because they do not feel they will be held accountable for their behavior."
The fundamental difficulty with respect to studying DV, Jewkes asserts, is that "evidence for causation of intimate partner violence is weak, when assessed with epidemiological criteria... [since] diseases usually have a biological basis and occur within a social context, but intimate partner violence is entirely a product of its social context." And, Jewkes adds, DV is often a "feature of sexual relationships or thwarted sexual relationships..." Alcohol, she concludes, is a contributor to intimate violence by both reducing inhibitions, and providing "social space" for "punishment."
Family violence research in The Western Journal of Medicine (Rodriguez, et al., 2001), in which 4,780 "married or cohabiting" persons were interviewed, shows that alcohol misuse "interacts with unemployment" circumstances to exacerbate problems of DV. Family violence also is linked to symptoms of "depression" mixed with alcohol, and interestingly, the study also found that "alcohol consumption was significantly related to physical aggression 6 months immediately before and...
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