Alcohol abusers are 6-7 times more likely to be implicated in domestic violence, study says

Men who abuse alcohol or use drugs are 6-7 times more likely to be implicated in domestic violence, most often against women, PLoS Medicine reported referring to a study.

Experts analyzed hundreds of thousands of medical records and police reports collected over 16 years. They wanted to find out how often men were arrested for threats, attacks, and sexual violence against wives and former partners. It turned out that 1.7% of men who abused alcohol were arrested on such charges: this is about 6 times more compared to their peers on average. For men with drug addiction, this figure was 2.1% - 7 times more often.

The study also showed that people with behavioral and mental disorders, including depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and personality disorders, are more prone to domestic violence. But this connection was not as expressive as in the case of alcohol and drugs.

In a BBC News commentary, Vera Baird, Commissioner for Victim Affairs in England and Wales, said this study should be treated with caution because many men remain violent and sober. Moreover, there are many rapists who have no problems with alcohol and drugs. Therefore, the specialist believes that it is not worth redirecting the resources of the program to combat domestic violence to the fight against alcoholism and drug addiction.

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