Substance use problems and domestic violence lead to similar experiences for women: CrossCurrents Summer 2004

CrossCurrents

A best practices document entitled Addressing Domestic Violence in Substance Abuse Treatment for Women, published by the Illinois Department of Human Services in 2000, found that women with substance use problems share similar experiences with those who have faced domestic violence, including:

• isolation, shame, and guilt
• behaviours that others describe as bizarre or dysfunctional
• traumatization
• initial denial of the problem
• loss of support systems and fear of losing children as a result of admitting their problem
• magical thinking (the belief that the problem will simply go away)
• involvement in the criminal justice system, either as a victim or offender
• help-seeking behaviour only when in crisis  

Source: http://tigger.uic.edu/~lwbenn/taskforce/dvinsawomen.htm

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