Alcohol, Drugs & Domestic Violence

The association between alcohol & drug misuse & domestic violence has been known about for a long time, & yet is often misunderstood.  Alcohol & Drugs are often wrongly attributed as being the cause or an explanation for domestic violence both by men who are violent to their partners & by their partners.  Women who use alcohol or drugs & are experiencing domestic violence frequently blame themselves & their use of substances for their experience of violence.  Women’s substance use may also be used by the perpetrator as an explanation for his violence, which increases women’s shame, & reduces the likelihood of her getting in contact with services for support. 

Alcohol & Drugs do not cause men to be violent to their partners.  Not all men are violent to their partner & certainly a lot of men are not violent to their partners when they have drunk or used drugs. 

Women who use alcohol & drugs may be at greater risk of violence from partners because they are unable to defend themselves, they may not be able to assess the level of risk they are in or adequately put in safety planning measures to safeguard themselves or their children.  However, it is important to understand that a woman may have a developed a physical dependency on either alcohol or drugs & will not be able stop without support.  A sensitive & non-judgemental approach is necessary to encourage women to think about changing her use of substances.

If men are misusing alcohol or drugs, they will often not want their partners to stop using alcohol or drugs, & may actively stop her from seeking treatment, This is especially the case if he is supplying her with drugs or she is selling sex to fund their drug taking.  It is important that professionals speak to women on their own about their alcohol or drug use & not make assumptions about women’s ambivalence to changing their substance use.

Children are greatly affected by the substance use, & this should not be under estimated when it is the father who is drinking.  Children are at greater risk from violence when there is domestic violence occurring.  Children are very sensitive to their father’s use of alcohol or drugs & may take on a protective role with their mothers.

Women who don’t use alcohol or drugs & live with men who do, frequently take on responsibility for the family both practically & emotionally & blame themselves for not being able to stop him from drinking.  Partners of drinkers often struggle to ask for support for themselves as they focus on supporting their partner to stop drinking.  It is important that professionals understand that women don’t necessarily want their relationship to end, however they do want the drinking & the violence to stop. 

for general enquiries about the Domestic Violence Forum please contact:

Frances Martineau
Head of Domestic Violence and Hate Crime's Unit
London Borough of Newham, Social Services Department
328 Barking Road, East Ham, London E6 2RT
Tel: 020 8430 2000
Fax: 020 8557 8964