Intimate Partner Violence and Co-Occurring Substance Abuse Addiction

Most rehabs that address both addiction and domestic violence offer trauma-informed care. A trauma-informed approach accounts for your unique needs during recovery, even as those needs change. In some cultures, “I was drunk” is an acceptable excuse for a wide range of negative behavior, from telling secrets to picking fights. When people feel like they can blame their actions on substances, they may drink or use drugs to justify ongoing violence.8 This mindset can also prevent them from getting the help they need. Look for escalating drinking or drug use, unexplained injuries, isolation, controlling behaviors by a partner, frequent crises around money or substances, and conflicts that intensify when intoxicated.

The Complex Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Addiction

Understanding this link is crucial not just for social workers and healthcare professionals, but for anyone who wants to comprehend how addiction transforms family dynamics and creates cycles of trauma that can span generations. Survivors of abuse often experience profound emotional pain, which they may try to numb with drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately, this coping mechanism can quickly spiral into addiction, which further isolates them and makes it harder to leave the abusive relationship. The cycle of trauma, self-medication, and addiction creates a daunting barrier to safety and recovery.

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• You might be less capable of controlling your anger, making violence more likely.
• Importantly, these approaches must address children’s experiences of these intersecting issues, and provide tailored responses to promote their safety.
• We compared dyad accounts, examining what pieces of evidence couples relied upon—particularly when it pertained to substance use—and what each individual party omitted from their accounts.

Statistics have shown that abused women are 15 times and 9 times more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs than those with no history of abuse. A total of 37 male participants who took part were asked to provide contact details for their current or former female partner/s so that the research team could invite them to be interviewed. Of the 37, 27 men provided 32 contact details for their current or former partners. Three women declined to take part, 13 women proved non-contactable, and researchers were advised by staff not to contact two women who had recently relapsed drug use. This article focuses on the analysis of the interviews of these 14 heterosexual-couple dyads.

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A set of national principles seeking to address coercive control in family and domestic violence recognise that substance use can be exploited in the same way as technology or financial abuse. Some researchers have reported high serotonin transporter (SERT) bindings in the brains of deceased alcoholics (Underwood et al., 2018), whereas others have reported low binding (Mantere et al., 2002) and some reported no differences (Brown et al., 2007; Martinez et al., 2009). Similarly, mixed findings were also reported for 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor bindings (Underwood et al., 2008, 2018; Storvik et al., 2009). Chronic alcohol intake increases the metabolites of serotonin in the raphe nuclei area, however reduces 5-HT2A protein levels in the mice cortex, indicating reduced serotonergic activity (Popova et al., 2020). Acute alcohol intake reduces tryptophan availability to the brain (non-aggressive), which leads to a decrease in serotonin synthesis and turnover, about 25% of the concentration of tryptophan following an oral intake of alcohol (Badawy et al., 1995). Hence, it is probable that in the aggressive brain, the drop in brain serotonin synthesis might even be greater (40–60%) during substance abuse and domestic violence moderate intake of alcohol (Badawy, 2003).

The Link Between Addiction and Domestic Violence

Support groups, therapy, and community resources can provide emotional support, practical advice, and a sense of belonging. Involvement in domestic violence and substance abuse can lead to legal issues, such as arrests, restraining orders, and criminal charges. These legal troubles can have long-lasting effects on an individual’s life, including difficulties finding employment or housing.

It’s important to note that a standard addiction treatment plan alone will not be enough to end the abuse. An abuser must go through extensive treatment for the addiction and abusive behaviors. Many of these mental health effects may be rooted in and perpetuated by substances.

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Rehab can also provide survivors with the skills and tools they need to build a healthy, substance-free life after leaving the program. It’s important to choose a rehab that’s equipped to handle both issues and has experience working with survivors of domestic violence. Women seeking treatment for substance use frequently report histories of sexual and/or physical assault, reflecting how trauma and addiction become deeply intertwined alcoholism over time.