Many studies show a high rate of alcohol abuse among men who batter their female partners.
No evidence supports a cause and effect relationship between the two problems. The relatively high incidence of alcohol abuse among men who batter must be viewed as overlap of two widespread social problems. Efforts to link alcohol abuse and domestic violence reflect society's tendency to view battering as an individual deviant behavior. Moreover, there is a reluctance to believe that domestic violence is a pervasive social problem that happens among all kinds of American families. For these reasons, it is essential to emphasize what is known about the relationship between alcohol abuse and domestic violence.