DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE Dr Jorge Argueta
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE Dr. Jorge Argueta, DBA, MA, CADC Avance Inc. (773) 293 -1770
GOAL The primary goal of this presentation is to help counselors, advocates and other social service providers better address the safety and recovery needs of women impacted by Domestic Violence and their own, or another’s substance use, misuse or addiction.
Statistics 1 in 4 women will be assaulted by an intimate partner (US DHHS) 74% of women in substance abuse treatment have experienced sexual abuse (Covington; Kubbs, 2000) ________________________ “Nearly 75% of wives of alcoholics have been threatened and 45% have been assaulted by their partners” (AMA, 1994) ____________________
Scope of the Problem A correlation between substance abuse and DV occurs in 44% to 80 % of reported DV incidents depending on what research you cite (Mackey, 1992) Over 1/2 of reported DV cases involve drinking (Drug Strategies, 1998) 1 study found in 94% of DV calls to police --assailant had used ETOH alone or ETOH w/cocaine, marijuana or other drugs w/in 6 hrs of assault 92% of assailants and 42% of victims had used alcohol or other drugs on the day of the assault (Brookhoff et al, 1997)
DV and Substance Abuse A NIDA study noted 90% of women in drug treatment had experienced severe DV from a partner during their lifetime (Miller, 1994) Similar findings have been noted on monthly client service reports from the Alcohol/Drug Help Line Domestic Violence Outreach Project in Washington State (Bland, 2003)
Basic concepts �Substance abuse (SA) and Domestic Violence (DV) overlap and often concur �There are multiple causes for both SA and DV There is little evidence that one causes the other or vice versa �Active substance abuse by the perpetrator of DV or by the victim threatens the safety of the victim �Domestic Violence impairs addiction recovery and threatens sobriety �Workers on DV and SA fields will be more effective if they consider the Safety, Sobriety and Justice issues when dealing with their clients
Relationship between SA and DV? If most of the victims of DV are women And most of the batterers are men But some of the victims/survivors of DV have SA problems And some of the perpetrators of DV have SA issues And about 50 -85% of incidents involve drug usage Therefore……
Does alcohol or other drugs cause DV? Alcohol or other drug usage does not cause violence but it may serve as (1) An excuse. (2) A cognitive disrupter. (3) A power motive. (4) Situational. (5) A chemical agent. (6) Effective across generations.
The relationship Using alcohol or other drugs may increase the possibility an abuser will engage in violent behavior – because It reduces inhibitions Distorts perceptions Use can be used as an excuse for violence User might get a sense of power, grandiosity Both alcohol abuse and domestic abuse tend to follow parallel escalating patterns But it does not fully explain the behavior
Violent while using It is more about the expectations that about the effects of the drug in the brain. Experiment on alcohol and aggression.
Violent while drinking
The compounded effects Safety is strongly compromised when DV, substance abuse or chemical dependence co-occur Together, severity of injuries and lethality rates climb for chemically dependent battered women (Dutton, 1992) While these problems frequently co-occur, most research indicates neither causes the other Individually, each can be chronic, progressive and lethal; together they are especially dangerous
DV and Substance Abuse • Are different problems requiring different interventions • Denial serves different purposes: �Victims fear for their safety or may be coerced into denying the truth / Batterers avoid accountability and may falsely blame their behavior on their partner, substance abuse or anger �Alcoholics/addicts fear they won’t survive without using and deny to avoid pain
Domestic Violence and SA Involve power and control dynamics Impact entire families, often harming 3 or more generations Thrive in silence and isolation Carry great societal stigma and shame Limit freedom for members of our community resulting in oppression
Substance Abuse and DV The Women’s Action Alliance found 60 -75% of women seeking shelter services over a 15 month period developed problems with their original coping mechanisms: alcohol and drugs (Roth, 1991 A recent study of IL DV shelters reveals 42% of service recipients abuse alcohol or other drugs (Bennett & Lawson, 1994). 1 in 4 women in an IA shelter/safe home sample had a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol dependence and another 1 in 4 had alcohol or other drug problems (Downs, 2002).
Important Gender Differences in Substance Use, Abuse and Dependence • Women often initiate use as result of traumatic life event, such as past physical or sexual abuse (Ashley et al. , 2003; Weiss et al. , 2003) • Women are often drawn into use by partners (Ashley et al. , • Women use for different reasons – for example, young women use to improve mood, increase confidence, lose inhibitions, enhance sex or lose weight, while young men use for sensation seeking or to enhance social status (Weiss et al. , 2003; National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 2003)
Safety Concerns Alcohol and other drug use may be encouraged or forced by an abusive partner or perpetrator as a mechanism of control (Bland, 1997; Illinois Dept. of Human Services, 2000) Substance use and misuse can impair judgment and thought processes (including memory) making safety planning more difficult
Safety Concerns Acute and chronic effects of alcohol and other drug use may prevent one from accurately assessing levels of danger Under the influence, one may feel an increased sense of power and erroneously believe self-defense against physical assaults is possible, not realizing the impact of substances on gross motor functioning and reflexes
Some differences �A woman* with substance abuse problems and survivor: �Alcohol could help her to deal with her DV �She needs to be empowered �A man* with substance abuse issues and perpetrator: �Alcohol brought his violence to the surface �His DV could continue despite his abstinence �Needs to work powerlessness issues
Intervention Safety issues can seriously affect the woman's ability to maintain sobriety. Make safety as well as sobriety a top priority. Treatment should focus on both issues. When a woman is harmed, she may be more likely to use substances to cope. She may seek to reduce her physical and/or emotional pain. She may be coerced into use by her partner Staying in a abusive relationship might not be good for her happiness but it might be for her safety
Intervention �Noncompliance issues should take into account the batterer's ability to sabotage substance abuse treatment through threats or fear. �Couple or family counseling can be very dangerous for victims of domestic violence. �It is important to stress that abuse is not the victim's fault. Counselors may need to address domestic violence and substance abuse with different interventions. �Confrontational techniques are often not effective with victims of domestic abuse. �Some examples of words to avoid with these women are codependency, enabling, and powerlessness. It is important to avoid codependency and enabling. because these concepts do not hold the batterer fully accountable for his behavior.
INTERVENTION (cont. ) Some 12 Step groups' concepts can pose problems for women. Whenever possible, domestic violence victims should be referred to gender-specific treatment and support groups. . Victims respond best to gender-specific empowerment and self-discovery. Emphasize strengths and healthy decision-making.
Common Concept In Addiction Field In Domestic Violence Women Survivor/Victim In Domestic Violence - Men Person needing help Recovering alcoholic or drug abuser Non-Abusive/Noncoercive Goal of treatment Recovery from alcohol or Attaining Safety/Healing Accepting responsibility drug addiction from effects of abuse for choice to be violent Form of treatment or intervention Treatment from inpatient, out-patient or hospital setting Provision of information and support with goal of safety and empowerment - possible groups Intervention with accountability / Provision of information to support choice of non-violence Help/Support Self-help Peer Support Legal and social accountability / Peer accountability Core issue for client to accept Powerlessness Empowerment Abuse of Power Model Medical model (individual is sick) Socio-political model (society is sick)
Locus of change Social service mission Social change mission (individual change) (societal change) Role of control Loses control over substances Is controlled by partner's use of violence and coercion Family function Family as dysfunctional Family engaging in Battering is functional adaptive strategies to - the batterer gets protect themselves what he wants Type of behavior Enabling Protecting self from harmful consequences Co-dependent / Coalcoholic Socialized female behavior / Adaptive survival strategies Impediment to change Addicted to substance Trapped in relationship by fear and lack of support Selective use of violence / need violence to maintain control Intentional behavior supported by attitudes of male privilege and lack of accountability
Resources Safety and Sobriety, Best Practices in Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse, DV/SA Interdisciplinary Task Force, IL DHS http: //tigger. uic. edu/~lwbenn/taskforce/ http: //www. dhs. state. il. us/max/rfp/Best. Practices. PDF Getting Safe and Sober, Real Tools You Can Use by Debi Edmund and Patti Bland for the Alaska Network on DV/SA
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