Week 10: Substance Use and DV

Hey all!
So this week we covered Substance Use and DV.
For this chapter we read "Why Does He Do That?" by Lundy Bancroft.

Bancroft dispels a lot of myths about abusive men (specifically) and addiction. I'm going to go ahead and list the important myths Bancroft dispels and what research I found on this topic.

(1) Not all substance abusers are abusive partners.

This was something I never thought about. I used to have the bias that if you were a substance abuser you would be an IPV perpetrator. However, when Bancroft put it so poignantly, it makes SO much more sense! I mean, if all substance abusers were abusive partners, a lot of people I know would be victims and perpetrators of IPV. Granted, I know victims and perpetrators of IPV, and while some of them drink, other firends of mine who drink or substance abuse do not get violent with their partners. It's one of those famous "It Depends" situations that winds itself all through psychology and sociology philosophy.
The second myth was the flip side of this in that  not all abusive partners are substance abusers.
I came from a small town where I heard of people abusing substances and getting belligerent and abusive with their partners. This probably contributed to my once long standing bias.

(2) If they stop drinking/using they will stop abusing...

The answer is (usually) no. Drinking alone is not always enough to stop a person from abusing. Bancroft finds that often times perpetrators of IPV will have a "grace period" when they are getting sober, but then become violent (or more violent). However, she does find that perpetrators who focus on getting sober and work hard at working with their partners on their relationship to end the cycle of violence that they show more promising results. These things, as we have seen so far and will see in the future, are not always black and white. There are so many factors that play into IPV that it could be rarely one cause alone.

(3) They only abuse when they drink/use...

Bancroft writes that from her interviews with perpetrators of IPV that they many times are conscious of their intentions to hurt their partner and can be premeditated. Also, Bancroft finds that when a victim recounts the day-to-day routines with their abuser that their abuse is often not restrained to times when they are drinking. She finds that perpetrators use drinking/using as a reason or excuse to abuse. They would blame the drug/drink rather than themselves. This could contribute to them getting more violent when they drink/or use. Also there is a sort of placebo/labeling effect when someone drinks or uses. If you are telling someone or thinking that drinking/using is going to make you angry or violent, then you will more likely become angry or violent.

These were the three main myths or thoughts I wanted to tackle today because they lied in my own beliefs for the longest time, until now. I also tried to do some outside search but damned Ebsco doesn't have the full text to some of the great studies about GLBTQ substance use and abuse and the prevelance rates for IPV and Substance Use.

However, I did find an interesting study done in Canada using a self-report survey on women who use substances in IPV shelters. It turns out that they tend to show decreases rates of using during and after their stay in the shelter. The theory that surrounds this is that the support that the individual has can help them overcome their need for substances or help find alternatives to using.

I did also find another study, and I remember reading something similar to this in my Juvenile Delinquency class 2 years ago, about adolescents, IPV, and substance abuse. The researchers wanted to know if adolescents witness IPV if they would be more likley to be a substance user/abuser. Their study shows that there is statistically significant data that shows adolescent females are more likley to substance/use and abuse after witness IPV in their lives than adolescent boys. Note, this are just added risk factors and NOT causes. But an interesting study none-the-less.

All in all I found this week to be really insightful. I got to tackle long-held biases of my own. I feel that anyone, espeically going into the helping professions, should challenge themselves and make sure they are aware of their biases. It is important to know what kind of, for lack of a better word, baggage or way-of-thinking you're bringing to the counseling table. I'm glad I got mine out there, and I am also glad they are changed.

Anyways, till next week....