Drinking and spousal abuse often go hand in hand, but drinking does not automatically lead to the abuse. Having a drink, or even getting rip-roaring drunk, will not magically transform a spouse into an abusive, raging maniac. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and State University of New York Professor David J. Hanson all agree that other factors play a part in domestic violence, but alcohol does have its role.
Statistics
Abusers are often drinkers, according to the NIAAA, with about 60 percent of abusive partners indulging in alcohol. Up to 38 percent have significant alcohol problems while 22 percent are heavy drinkers. Men who are not violent are not as prone to binge drinking or having problems with alcohol, especially problems that start at an early age. Alcohol is part of at least 25 percent and up to 50 percent of domestic violence situations and, according to SAMHSA, more than 50 percent of spouses accused of murdering their partners were drinking at the time of the killing.
Alcohol and Abuse
Marriages that suffer from domestic violence often include alcohol use or abuse from either the perpetrator or the victim, according to both SAMHSA and the NIAAA. Substance abusers are also more likely to indulge in violence outside the home, sexually attack or assault their partners, and attack them more frequently and severely than those without alcohol problems. Batterers often had parents who also abused alcohol or other drugs. Husbands who drink and abuse come from every social class. Spouses with an ongoing alcohol problem are more likely to abuse their partners than those who get severely drunk from time to time.
Other Factors
Alcohol and spousal abuse are indeed linked, SAMHSA and the NIAAA note, but other factors also contribute to the likelihood of domestic violence in a marriage. These include a history of family violence, an unstable home life, depression, and not having a strong bond with any family members. The couple's economic situation is another factor, with spousal abuse more likely in marriages where the partners bring in paltry paychecks or are unemployed.
Misconception
Drinking is sometimes used as an excuse as to why one partner battered the other, according to the NIAAA. This way the abuser can blame the abuse on the bottle, thereby rationalizing his actions as well as squirming out of any of the blame. If he did not drink, the excuse goes, he would not abuse. The victim, too, can grab hold of this false rationalization and grab onto an equally false hope that if her partner would just stop drinking he would surely stop abusing her.
Alcohol's Other Roles
Alcohol can play a part in abusive marriages in different ways, the NIAAA and SAMHSA point out. Violence can erupt because one spouse keeps nagging the other about his constant drinking. The victim, too, is likely to turn to alcohol or other drugs, especially sedatives, painkillers or other pills, to escape the stress, pain and fear of the abuse. Women who already have a history of substance abuse or depression often have a history of being abused.
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