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

Definitions of Treatment

Understanding the specialized alcohol abuse treatment system can be challenging. No single definition of treatment exists, and no standard terminology describes different dimensions and elements of treatment. Describing a facility as providing inpatient care or ambulatory services characterizes only one aspect: the setting.

Another challenge is that the specialized alcohol abuse treatment system differs around the country, with each State or city having its own peculiarities and specialties. For example:

• Minnesota is well known for its array of public and private alcoholism facilities. Most are modeled on the fixed-length inpatient rehabilitation programs initially established by the Hazelden Foundation and the Johnson Institute. These organizations subscribe to a strong Alcoholics Anonymous orientation and have varying intensities of aftercare services.
• California offers a number of community-based public sector programs based on a social model emphasizing a 12-Step, self-help approach as a foundation for lifelong recovery.

In this module, the term "treatment" will be limited to describing the formal programs that serve patients with more serious alcohol and drug problems who do not respond to brief interventions or other office-based management strategies, and those women who face abuse issues. It is also assumed that an indepth assessment has been conducted to establish a diagnosis and to determine the most suitable resource for the individual's particular needs.