Alcohol-Free Weekend 2014

April tends to be a busy month for sexual assault advocates. Not only is it Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but it’s also Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Month.
As if these weren’t two big enough issues to tackle during one 30-day period,
April is also Alcohol Awareness Month.

April 4-6, 2014 is The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence’s annual Alcohol-Free Weekend. This event is trying to raise public awareness about the use of alcohol and how alcohol affects the community.

Here at Women and Children’s Horizons, we serve people who have been affected by sexual assault, including child sexual abuse, and domestic violence. We also provide education about these issues and healthy relationships in general. During the course of our work, it’s not uncommon for us to encounter the impact alcohol can have on the people we serve. We also hear a lot of myths and misconceptions about the intersections between sexual assault, domestic violence, and alcohol. Here are 3 things we want you to know:

1. Alcohol doesn’t cause abuse.

Perpetrators of abuse often make excuses and avoid taking responsibility for their abusive behaviors. In some abusive relationships, the likelihood of physical abuse may increase when an abuser has been drinking. However, other forms of abuse and controlling behaviors such as emotional abuse and isolation may be taking place even when the abuser is sober.

Alcohol doesn’t cause sexual assault, either. A person who is not motivated to commit a sexual assault wouldn’t, whether under the influence or sober.

2. Victims who have been drinking are not “asking” to be abused or assaulted.

No one deserves to be abused or assaulted. Unfortunately, our society has a strange way of looking at incidents of sexual assault that involve alcohol. If a perpetrator of abuse has been drinking, s/he is seen as being less responsible for their behavior and choices. However, if a victim has been drinking, s/he is often blamed for not making better choices and held more accountable for their choices. Some perpetrators will use victim blaming as an effective tactic to avoid accountability for the violence/abuse they have committed.

Perpetrators alone are responsible for their abusive behaviors.

3. Many victims of abuse turn to alcohol and other drugs as a way of coping with their experiences.

• Victims of rape are 13.4 times more likely to develop two or more alcohol related problems and 26 times more likely to have two or more serious drug abuse-related problems. (Kilpatrick and Aciemo (2003) "Menta l Health Needs of Crime Victims: Epidemiology and Outcomes", Journal of Traumatic Stress).
• In a study of male survivors sexually abused as children, over 80% had a history of substance abuse. (Lisak, David, (1994) "The Psychological Impact of Sexual Abuse: Content Analysis of Interviews with Male Survivors." Journal of Traumatic Stress , 7(4): 525-548).
• Teenagers with alcohol and drug problems are 6 to 12 times more likely to have a history of being physically abused and 18 to 21 times more likely to have been sexually abused than those without alcohol and drug problems. (Clark, H.W., McClanahan, T.M., Sees, K.L., "Cultural Aspects of Adolescent Addiction and Treatment," (Spring 1997) Valparaaiso University Law Review, Volume 31:2).
• The Department of Justice found in 2002 that 36 percent of victims in domestic violence programs also had problems with substance abuse.

If you are a victim or survivor of abuse struggling with addiction, help is available. In Kenosha County, contact us at 262-652-9900 for information and referrals to local community resources. If you are from a different location within the United States, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) to be connected with a program close to you.

Can you abstain from drinking for 72 hours?

Accept the challenge by visiting NCADD’s Facebook page.

If you find it difficult to go 3 days without drinking, this may be a sign of an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. For more information or to seek help, please contact:

In Kenosha: The Hope Council

National Resources:
NCADD
Alcoholics Anonymous

Witten by: Erin Davis, WCH Program Development Coordinator