Nearly all of us know someone who has suffered domestic violence at the hands of a husband or intimate partner. You probably know or have known a woman who has suffered a situation similar to the following example. A woman has suffered mental, verbal, or physical abuse for years or decades. Her husband has a history of drinking after work. By the sixth drink, he usually becomes violent. She hides her bruises and all other proof of domestic violence well because she does not want her children to be scared.
By all outward appearances, she is part of a successful middle-class family. In many cases, family members are shocked to learn that their loved one has suffered in silence for so many years. Arrests related to alcohol have increased in Illinois recently. Many alcohol-related arrests also involve domestic violence.
When Domestic Violence Happens, Alcohol is Often Involved
According to the World Health Organization, domestic violence and alcohol are strongly linked. Domestic Violence should never be tolerated, and alcohol use increases the severity of domestic violence and the number of domestic violence incidents. Alcohol use reduces a person’s physical and cognitive functioning. Those using alcohol do not have as much self-control as those who do not. In the United States, 55% of domestic violence victims reported that their partners had been drinking alcohol prior to the physical assault.
Alcoholism can also increase the stress on intimate partners. For example, alcoholism can make child care problems, financial problems, and other family disputes worse. More verbal fights can arise from these stressful situations which then result in more domestic violence. The vicious cycle of domestic violence and alcoholism is difficult to break. Sadly, the link between domestic violence and alcoholism can be passed down to future generations. Children who witness domestic violence are much more likely to misuse alcohol as adults.
Why is Alcohol Misused So Often?
Alcohol use is more socially acceptable than drug use and the use of other controlled substances. Alcohol has been misused more than other drugs. The social acceptance of drinking to the point of drunkenness is part of the increase in alcohol-related arrests in Illinois. Illinois police departments have reported a rise in calls regarding domestic agreements, fights, and public intoxication. The common factor in all of these calls? The misuse of alcohol.
Programs for alcohol dependence have very few, if any, open spaces for new participants. Even though between 3,000 and 4,000 people die from alcohol misuse every year in Illinois, state alcohol treatment programs are out of money. In addition to causing greater amounts of domestic violence, alcoholism costs Illinois residents $9.3 billion a year in terms of health care costs, crime, and lost work.
Our Law Firm Can Help
If you struggle from alcoholism and you are facing a domestic violence charge, you need an experienced defense attorney. At Glasgow & Olsson, we are ready to help. Contact our Cook County criminal defense law firm today to schedule your initial consultation.