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Rationale for Developing Kit

While there is little credible evidence supporting a direct cause-and-effect link, substance abuse and violence against women often occur together. For women in substance abuse treatment, failure to address current or past victimization can interfere with treatment effectiveness and can lead to relapse. For victims of violence or abuse, active alcohol or drug abuse makes it harder to escape a violent situation or to heal from past abuse. Both issues pose serious public health consequences for women and their children.

The following are a few of the many reasons an individual who experiences domestic violence and/or sexual abuse and who also has a substance abuse problem, may be at increased risk for harm (Bland, 1997; Illinois Department of Human Services, 2000):

• Acute and chronic effects of alcohol and other drug use may prevent one from accurately assessing the level of danger posed by a perpetrator.
• Under the influence, one may feel a sense of increased power. Individuals may erroneously believe they can defend themselves against physical assaults and may not realize the impact of substances on their gross motor functioning and reflexes.
• Substance use and misuse can impair judgment and thought processes (including memory), making safety planning more difficult.
• Alcohol and other drug use may be encouraged or forced by an abusive partner as a mechanism of control. Abstinence and recovery efforts may be sabotaged. For example, a domestic violence/sexual assault victim receiving methadone on a daily basis could easily be stalked.
• There may be reluctance on the part of the crime victim to seek assistance or contact police for fear of arrest, deportation or referral to the Office of Children’s Services.
• The compulsion to use and withdrawal symptoms may make it difficult for substance-abusing or addicted victims of domestic violence/sexual assault to access services such as shelter, advocacy, or other forms of help.
• Additionally, a recovering woman may find the stress of securing safety leads to relapse.
• If she is using or has used in the past, she may not be believed.

Given the effect that each issue has on a woman’s ability to address the other, researchers have suggested the need for greater coordination of services among health care providers, substance abuse counselors and advocates addressing women’s victimization. It is hoped that this manual can serve as a “bridge-building” tool for providers, counselors and advocates whose work brings them in contact with women addressing both substance abuse and current or past victimization.

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