One of the prime triggers of domestic violence is substance abuse. When under the influence of drugs and alcohol, a person’s violent tendencies could heighten and they could hit people that are close in proximity: family members. On this post, we look at the connection of substance abuse and domestic violence to each other and what can you do if you are arrested for both or either of the two.
Correlation of substance abuse and domestic violence
Drugs and alcohol have always meshed together with domestic violence. This is because most domestic violence offenders are found with a background of substance abuse. According to a study made by the United States Department of Justice titled Linkage of Domestic Violence and Services, 61 percent of domestic violence offenders are also substance abusers. This is also supported by another research that showed 92 percent of domestic violence assailants in the United States have taken drugs or alcohol on the day of the abuse. The American Society of Addiction Medicine also found out in 2014 that forty to sixty cases of domestic violence involve substance abuse.
But is alcohol and drugs all there is to blame about domestic violence incidents in Nevada?
It depends. The main thing that substance abuse does is push the abuser to commit the act as alcohol and drugs can give adrenaline, clouded judgment, and other psychological impairment. There are no strong evidences of substance abuse directly causing domestic violence. Most drug addicts or alcoholic people are not domestic violence culprits and not every drug causes violent behavior unless taken improperly. With this, we can say that domestic violence is done because it is already ingrained in the person or the type of relationship that was built up. Substance abuse only fulfills the plausible outcome.
Since Nevada, especially the city of Las Vegas, is a melting pot of triggers of domestic violence what with parties filled with hard drugs and alcohol, it should not be surprising that drug crimes and domestic violence are two of the most notorious crimes in the State.
Substance abuse and the domestic violence victim
It is not only the domestic violence perpetrator that can be a substance abuser, but even victims themselves can also be guilty of taking too much alcohol and drugs. In fact, one major reason why they are inflicted with violence is because of their abuse with the supposed perpetrator only doing it out of suppressed rage or self-defense.
Of course in some cases, it is both the perpetrator and victim and domestic violence usually ensues due to fighting over the drugs and alcohol. There are a lot of dangers to a domestic violence victim also being a substance abuser, they will be ten times more hesitant to report the domestic violence in fear of being charged for substance abuse themselves and they could go deeper into substance abuse as a way of escape from being physically and mentally taunted.
Defenses and remedies
First off, if you are seeing yourself slowly succumbing to substance abuse, know that you need help before you do regrettable acts such as domestic violence. There are countless Nevada drug rehab centers ready to assist you. As the State is consistently riddled with substance-related fatalities, many institutions are active in curbing drug or alcohol abuse. Even laws against marijuana are continually evaluated and revised for better effect.
In court, you can use the alleged substance abuse itself as a way to defend yourself. You could argue that the victim was a substance abuser and you were only trying to contain him or her that led to accidental physical injuries. Another defense that you could raise is that yes you have experience in substance abuse but never perpetrated domestic violence followed by the presentation of evidence such as lack of body proof or that you are not in the place of the alleged time of the incident.
As they say, prevention is better than cure. In legal terms, it is better to stop taking alcohol and drugs before you go overboard and find yourself charged.
Drugs and alcohol have always been known to have brutal adverse effects. Mixed it with people who have domestic violence tendencies then it could escalate to a situation nobody wants. If things turn to worse and you are currently facing criminal charges of substance abuse and domestic violence, you need the help of a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney.