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

Assessing Violence for Women in Alcohol Treatment

Of those women who enter treatment for substance abuse, 75-80 percent have been victims of physical or sexual abuse.¹⁶ This high number indicates that there is a need for addiction counselors to know about domestic violence and sexual assault, especially when screening and assessing a new client.

Interview Tips

Some of the suggested statements of support covered earlier in the curriculum can also be applicable in this situation. Below are additional suggested statements of support:

• Don't initially refer to the partner's behavior as abusive or domestic violence. Instead, refer to it as inappropriate behavior, unsafe behavior, or unhealthy behavior.
• Be patient. Initially, a woman may not feel safe confiding information about herself. Proceed from the least intrusive questions to the more personal and sensitive topics.
• Be careful about criticizing the partner. Battered women may still care for their partners, become defensive, and close down the conversation.
• Avoid labeling a woman's survival strategies as co-dependent. They may be her way of surviving.

When asking questions, probe for factual details. Ask her to clarify vague answers.