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EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ADDICTION ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN SLUM

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Introduction

Alcohol addiction is simply defined as a compulsive need for an intoxicating liquid that is
obtained from fermented grain or fruit. These liquids include beer, wine, and other hard liquors. 
Alcoholism is present when a person craves alcohol and cannot limit or contain his or her
drinking. If someone experiences withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, or
anxiety when alcohol consumption has ceased, or if there is a need to drink greater amounts of
alcohol in order to feel a high, that person is most likely alcoholic. 

An alcoholic’s craving for alcohol is so great that it suppresses their ability to stop drinking. The
majority of alcoholics need assistance to stop drinking. With treatment and support from family
and friends, many have been able to stop drinking and rebuild their lives. It is a sad fact however
that there are still some who are unable to stop in spite of these aids.

Domestic violence includes violence perpetrated by intimate partners and other family members,
and manifested through: Physical abuse such as slapping, beating, arm twisting, stabbing,
strangling, burning, choking, kicking, threats with an object or weapon, and murder. It also
includes traditional practices harmful to women such as female genital mutilation and wife
inheritance.

Effects of Alcohol Addiction on Domestic Violence

The association between substance abuse and domestic violence has been limited to looking at
alcohol use by adults in heterosexual relationships (Velleman 2001, p. 251). Estimates of the
prevalence of alcohol in such cases vary, partly because of the different methods used to assess
the level and type of violence and the level of alcohol as a risk factor (Johnson 2001, p. 54).

The family is often equated with sanctuary a place where individuals seek love, safety, security,
and shelter. But the evidence shows that it is also a place that imperils lives, and breeds some of
the most drastic forms of violence perpetrated against family members. Violence in the domestic
sphere is usually perpetrated by males who are, or who have been, in positions of trust and
intimacy and power husbands, boyfriends, fathers, fathers-in-law, stepfathers, brothers, uncles,
sons, or other relatives. Domestic violence is in most cases violence perpetrated by men against

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women. Women can also be violent, but their actions account for a small percentage of domestic
violence.

Violence against women is often a cycle of abuse that manifests itself in many forms throughout
their lives. Even at the very beginning of her life, a girl may be the target of sex-selective
abortion or female infanticide in cultures where son preference is prevalent. During childhood,
violence against girls may include enforced malnutrition, lack of access to medical care and
education, incest, female genital mutilation, early marriage, and forced prostitution or bonded
labour.
Kantor and Straus (1990) investigated the links between wife assaults and heavy drinking,
occupational status and attitudes. They found the level of alcohol abuse and attitudes approving
violence against wives had the strongest two-way effect, but the most important variable was the
attitude about violence against wives (cited in Johnson 2001, p. 56). Johnson’s own research also
reported the most significant contributing factor to be male attitudes supportive of control over
female partners, rather than the use of alcohol (2001, p.66).

Testa (2004) conducted a literature review of studies and found that associations that may have
been interpreted as causal factors may have led to assumptions that there is stronger evidence
linking substance use to physical and sexual violence than there is in actuality.

Efforts to link alcohol abuse and domestic violence reflect society's tendency to view battering as
an individual deviant behavior. According to Kantor, G. K. & Straus, M. (1990), Battering is a
socially learned behavior, and is not the result of substance abuse or mental illness. Men who
batter frequently use alcohol abuse as an excuse for their violence. They attempt to rid
themselves of responsibility for the problem by blaming it on the effects of alcohol. In one
batterers' program, 80% of the men had abused alcohol at the time of the latest battering incident.
The vast majority of men, however, also reportedly battered their partners when not under the
influence of alcohol.

Data on the concurrence of domestic violence and alcohol abuse vary widely, from as low as
25% to as high as 80% of cases. Alcoholism and battering do share some similar characteristics,
including:

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 both may be passed from generation to generation
 both involve denial or minimization of the problem
 both involve isolation of the family

A small percent (7% to 14%) of battered women have alcohol abuse problems, which is no more
than that found in the general female population. A woman's substance abuse problems do
notrelate to the cause of her abuse, although some women may turn to alcohol and other drugs in
response to the abuse. To become independent and live free from violence, women should
receive assistance for substance abuse problems in addition to other supportive services.

According to Velleman, R. (2001), Men living with women who have alcohol abuse problems
often try to justify their violence as a way to control them when they're drunk. A woman's failure
to remain substance-free is never an excuse for the abuser's violence

Sexual abuse such as coerced sex through threats, intimidation or physical force, forcing
unwanted sexual acts or forcing sex with others may be caused by use of alcohol addiction.

Psychological abuse which includes behaviour that is intended to intimidate and persecute, and
takes the form of threats of abandonment or abuse, confinement to the home, surveillance,
threats to take away custody of the children, destruction of objects, isolation, verbal aggression
and constant humiliation may be caused by use of alcohol addiction (Rogers, B., McGee, G.,
Vann, A., Thompson, N. & Williams O. J. 2003).

Economic abuse includes acts such as the denial of funds, refusal to contribute financially, denial
of food and basic needs, and controlling access to health care and employment may be caused by
use of alcohol addiction.

It is not clear, however, how these results would generalize to the general population.  In fact,
according to other research, heavy alcoholic drinking by men in the general population does not
necessarily lead to domestic violence. Not surprisingly, the target of abusive men frequently is
their female partner or their children. Men who experience relationship problems often engage in
drinking excessive alcohol in an attempt to maintain control. 

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Alcohol abuse and violence in a relationship can exist before a couple gets married. Indeed,
alcohol abuse and physical or verbal abuse often develop before a relationship begins.  In
abusive relationships where alcohol abuse also exists, the key issue frequently is the need of one
partner to exercise power and control over the other. This need to control the partner, however, is
also found in abusive relationships in which there is no alcohol abuse.

A woman's substance abuse problems do not necessarily relate to the cause of her physical abuse,
although some women may resort to alcohol and other drugs in response to the physical abuse.

Consequences Alcohol Addiction to Domestic Violence

Denial of fundamental rights


Perhaps the most crucial consequence of violence against women and girls is the denial of
fundamental human rights to women and girls. International human rights instruments such as
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948, the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979, and
the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted in 1989, affirm the principles of
fundamental rights and freedoms of every human being.

Impact on children
Children, who have witnessed domestic violence or have themselves been abused, exhibit health
and behaviour problems, including problems with their weight, their eating and their sleep. They
may have difficulty at school and find it hard to develop close and positive friendships.

Health consequences
Domestic violence against women leads to far-reaching physical and psychological
consequences, some with fatal outcomes. While physical injury represents only a part of the
negative health impacts on women, it is among the more visible forms of violence. Kenyatta
hospital reported that that 37 per cent of all women who sought medical care in hospital
emergency rooms for violence-related injuries were injured by a current or former spouse or
partner.

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Assaults result in injuries ranging from bruises and fractures to chronic disabilities such as partial
or total loss of hearing or vision, and burns may lead to disfigurement. The medical
complications resulting from FGM can range from haemorrhage and sterility to severe
psychological trauma.

Studies in many countries have shown high levels of violence during pregnancy resulting in risk
to the health of both the mother and the unborn foetus. In the worst cases, all of these examples
of domestic violence can result in the death of the woman murdered by her current or ex-partner.
Sexual assaults and rape can lead to unwanted pregnancies, and the dangerous

A Summary of Cyclist that Influences Alcoholic Addict to Cause Domestic Violence


1. Cultural
 Gender-specific socialization
 Cultural definitions of appropriate sex roles
 Expectations of roles within relationships
 Belief in the inherent superiority of males
 Values that give men proprietary rights over women and girls
 Notion of the family as the private sphere and under male control
 Customs of marriage (bride price/dowry)
 Acceptability of violence as a means to resolve conflict

2. Economic
 Women’s economic dependence on men
 Limited access to cash and credit
 Discriminatory laws regarding inheritance, property rights, use of communal lands, and
maintenance after divorce or widowhood
 Limited access to employment in formal and informal sectors
 Limited access to education and training for women

3. Legal

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 Lesser legal status of women either by written law and/or by practice
 Laws regarding divorce, child custody, maintenance and inheritance
 Legal definitions of rape and domestic abuse
 Low levels of legal literacy among women
 Insensitive treatment of women and girls by police and judiciary

4. Political
 Under-representation of women in power, politics, the media and in the legal and medical
professions
 Domestic violence not taken seriously
 Notions of family being private and beyond control of the state
 Risk of challenge to status quo/religious laws
 Limited organization of women as a political force
 Limited participation of women in organized political system

Conclusion
There are significant divergences between feminist theories addressing domestic violence and
disease-focussed models of alcohol treatment. Differences centre on concepts of recovery such
as codependency or enabling, and on the issue of selfcontrol (Bennett 1997, p. 4). These
differences need to be addressed in order to meet the multiple needs of clients with dual
problems.

It is imperative that policies and practices should not be based on simplistic views that suggest
that alcohol directly disinhibits or causes violence (Bennett & Williams 2003, p. 572).

Researchers have found that domestic violence takes place in a context of coercive control and in
response to threats to male dominance (Dobash & Dobash 1984; Wilson et al. 1995; Johnson
2001). Alcohol abuse and its relationship with domestic violence is a public health issue with
complex cultural and societal causes and implications. Addressing it appropriately requires broad

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attitudinal change and societal responses, rather than treating it as a personal problem affecting
individuals only.

Reference:

Bennett, L. 1997, ‘Substance abuse and woman abuse by male partners’, National Electronic
Network on Violence Against Women, September, pp. 1- 8.

Johnson, H. 2001, ‘Contrasting views of the role of alcohol in cases of wife assault’, Journal of
interpersonal Violence, January, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 54-72.

Kantor, G. K. & Straus, M. 1990, ‘The “drunken bum” theory of wife beating’, in Physical
Violence in American Families: Risk Factors and Adaptations to Violence in 8,145 Families, eds
M. Straus & R. Gelles, Transaction Books, New Brunswick, NJ, pp. 203-224.

Lipsky, S., Caetano, R., Field, C.A. & Larkin, G.L. 2005a, ‘Psychosocial and substance-use risk
factors for intimate partner violence’, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, No. 78, pp. 39-47.

Rogers, B., McGee, G., Vann, A., Thompson, N. & Williams O. J. 2003, ‘Substance abuse and
domestic violence – stories of practitioners that address the co-occurrence among battered
women’, Violence against Women, May, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 590-598.

Testa, M. 2004, ‘The role of substance use in male-to-female physical and sexual violence: a
brief review and recommendations for future research’, Journal of Interpersonal Violence,
December, vol. 19, no. 12, pp. 1494-1505.

Velleman, R. 2001, ‘Commentary on Leonard’s “Domestic violence and alcohol: what is known
and what do we need to know to encourage environmental interventions?”’, Journal of
Substance Use, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 251-257.

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