Stress causes domestic assault. Batterers who are stressed at work do not attack their co-workers or bosses. Substance Abuse Counseling Doesn't Stop Abuse Substance abuse does not cause domestic violence. Some people are abusive when they are drinking or drugging, but others are not. Getting clean and sober will solve the substance abuse problem, but not the violence problem.
Victims often report that even when their partner becomes clean and sober, the abuse continues.
Men in domestic violence counseling often say that they used drugs or alcohol to give them an excuse to be abusive. Alcohol and drug abuse are the real causes of violence in the home. Because many batterers also abuse alcohol and other drugs, it's easy to conclude that these substances may cause domestic violence. They apparently do increase the severity of the violence, but mainly, they offer the batterer another excuse to evade responsibility for his behavior. The abusive man typically controls his actions, even when drunk or high, by choosing a time and place for the assaults to take place in private and go undetected.