Ten Reasons to Take Action Against Substance Abuse and Addiction: Number Three: Domestic Violence

It’s one of our greatest tragedies: men and women who anticipated a loving relationship instead find themselves experiencing violence at the hands of the loved one. In the U.S., nearly one third of female murder victims are killed by an intimate, and the proportion is increasing.

The World Health Organization reported that alcohol consumption, especially at harmful and hazardous levels, is a major contributor to the occurrence of intimate partner violence and that violence is more severe and more likely to result in physical injury when alcohol is involved. Fifty-five percent of American women who had been assaulted by a partner believed their partners to have been drinking before the attack, and 20 percent of men who were attacked by women stated that the woman had been drinking before the attack.

This relationship between alcohol and abuse or violence means that successful rehabilitation of those addicted to alcohol can go a long way to reducing the trauma and loss of domestic violence.

“No one wants to be an addict, no matter what the addicted person says,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “One of the tragic aspects of addiction is that the condition masks itself. By survey, the primary reason that addicted people do not seek help is that they think they don’t need help. Families can help that person break through that barrier. In our experience, families play a large role in the recovery of people who come to Narconon for help.”

The holidays may be the only time that a family sees a member who has been struggling all year with addiction to drugs or alcohol. It may be hard to use that moment to speak out against addiction but this brief moment may be the only time a family can reach out to the addict and help them find rehabilitation. “At Narconon, we provide counseling and referrals for people all over the country,” added Mr. Hallmark. “We help families find solutions to addiction every single day. During the holiday season, we are called on to help a higher number of families than usual.”

This holiday season, if you know someone suffering from substance abuse problems, bring the subject out in the open. Make sure they know how much you care and help them find a rehabilitation program that will help them overcome their addiction. There will never be a better time to save yourself or someone you care about from domestic violence related to substance abuse.

< Prev		Next >