Does substance abuse or mental illness cause domestic abuse?
While substance abuse is usually associated with domestic abuse situations, it does not cause someone to abuse his/her partner. Interestingly, I heard a former batterer who said, “I used to think I beat my wife because I drank…now I know that I drank so I could beat my wife.” That statement is about learning to take responsibility for one’s choice of behaviors. Batterers don’t hurt their partners because of alcohol, mental illness, anger management problems or violent family histories. There are people who grew up in horribly violent homes and people who are drug addicts and alcoholics that choose not to hurt their families. We all have choices about our behavior and abusers hurt, rape and kill their partners and their children because they choose to exert power and control over them.
