Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence: A Correlation

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Title of the Essay: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
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Running head: ARGUMENTATIVE ESAY 1
Substance abuse includes the excessive intake of alcohol and drugs that leads to the
exhibition of addictive behaviour and elicits emotional upheaval in the abusers who practice
violence on their intimate partner in order to gain a dominating control in the relationship.
Substance abuse and domestic violence have been correlated in the form of response elicited
by virtue of an adverse effect. Statistical evidences show that 1 out of 4 women and 1 out of 7
men have been victims of acute substance abuse (Ellsberg et al.). Drug or alcohol abuse leads
to domestic violence as it is observed that tremendous amount of substance abuse elicits
tremendous fluctuations in the mood, resulting in the onset of emotions such as anger and
agony which the abusers tend to dissipate on their loved ones by inflicting pain through
domestic violence. Domestic violence is not restricted to targeting women only but it can also
be targeted to children and the elderly and any one in the family who is not capable of
offering a string resistance. Research studies reveal that in most of the developing nations, the
victims of drug abuse are primarily women. Domestic violence is extremely destructive and a
serious scenario and in order to address the same, rehabilitation programs and psychological
treatments are available which can help in reducing problems related to domestic violence.
Domestic violence is not restricted only to physical abuse but can also affect the
psychological or the emotional wellness of the family members staying in association with
the substance abuser.
Studies reveal that nearly 80% of the domestic crimes globally are caused primarily
due to substance abuse. However it is critical to note here that as is evident from the research
studies, substance abuse is mostly co-related with domestic violence but exhibiting a violent
behaviour is a matter of choice rather than being an outcome of over-abuse of drugs. It can be
admitted that abusing drugs or drinking excessively can elicit a negative reflection in the
behaviour of individuals but it has been seen that abusers often blame it entirely on the

Running head: ARGUMENTATIVE ESAY 2
addictive sub substance rather than associating it to be a negative influence of their
personality. Addiction is often related to exhibition of a loss of control in the behaviour rather
than gain of control over the intimate partner forcibly using violence as tool to attain a
position. Hence, it can be said, in light of the problem that substance abuse gives rise to
dangerous situations that can arise due to the destructive pattern of behaviour put up by the
abusers and blamed entirely on the uptake of alcohol and other substances of drug abuse.
Therefore, any scenario of domestic violence pertaining to alcohol or drug abuse must not be
tolerated in any form and the victims facing the ill-effect of the same, must raise their
concern and seek help for protection against the drastic effect and also place the abusers into
professional care in order to rehabilitate them.
In context of statistical evidences, it has been seen that one incidence of acute
domestic violence takes place in every 24 minutes in the United States of America (Ellsberg
et al.). The destructive behaviour exhibited by the abuser on the family members leads to
hampering the physical, emotional and mental health of the family members thereby,
exposing the family members to threats of developing post-traumatic stress disorder and
vulnerability to increased risks of developing cardiac arrest. The effect of substance-abuse
and domestic violence are far reaching, in terms of the children who witness the scenario of
regular violence in context of their father returning home drunk and beating up their mother
or them to vent out their stress and anger, leads to development of severe mental disturbance
in them in the form of poor academic performance, depression and even early death in some
scenarios. It also affects the upbringing and the development of the children and studies
reveal that on growing up, these children often become aggressive and are end up developing
an intolerable approach towards their peer group (Ellsberg et al.). Domestic violence does not
always involve physical abuse and can also involve emotional or mental abuse in the form of