CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the Issues
2. Understanding Alcohol Abuse
3. Understanding Violence Against Women
4. Alcohol and Domestic Violence
5. Alcohol, Sexual Assault, and Rape
6. Prevention and Early Intervention
7. Screening and Assessment
8. Diagnosis and Treatment
9. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Fact Sheets
Videos
Resources

Silence Hurts
Alcohol Abuse and Violence Against Women

The Effects of Alcohol Abuse and Violence on Children

Alcohol abuse, when coupled with violence, doubles the need for denial and creates an even greater sense of hopelessness for family members.³⁴ Unfortunately, children at very young ages who witness the violence and drinking suffer the repercussions. In addition, they may be at risk of being abused.

In one survey of more than 6,000 American families, 50 percent of men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children.³⁵ According to the National Coalition against Domestic Violence, at least 3.3 million children between the ages of 3 and 19 years are at risk of being hurt by parental violence every year.

Children who see violence on television, in the movies, or in their own families or neighborhoods sometimes try to model what they see. Millions of children each year witness or become the victims of acts of violence against their mothers, sisters, or other female relatives. Many come to believe that violent behavior is an acceptable way to express anger or frustration.

Children can learn that using physical or emotional power and control over another person can get them what they want.³⁶ A child often continues this pattern of abuse into relationships in school and, when older, into dating and marriage. Children who witness violence may allow themselves to be abused in teen and adult relationships, believing this behavior is "normal" and to be expected.

Children may not see the actual violence, but they often hear the violence and see the results. From their hiding place, they may hear their parents yelling, crying, and screaming. They may also hear the sound of threats, physical blows, or breaking glass. They may see the results of the abuse in torn clothing, bloody bruises on the mother's face or body, broken furniture, or wounded animals. The children run the risk of being injured, either intentionally by the male hurting them, or unintentionally by trying to protect their mother.

In any case, children living with violence can suffer lasting emotional trauma and may react with shock, fear, and guilt.³⁷ Witnessing violence and living with violence can place children at risk for later alcohol problems.