Often women avoid accepting the reality that they are being abused by comparing themselves to others who have endured more extreme acts of physical and psychological abuse. Their own situations then seem much less serious and much less dangerous. Drug and Alcohol Abuse Victims of wife assault suffer from stress and tension. Many abused women turn to drugs and alcohol to avoid confronting their abusive situations. Continued used of these substances leads to dependency for many women.
Substance abuse adds to the assaulted woman's problem.
The abused woman who tries to deal effectively with her substance dependence and her violent situation at the same time is easily overwhelmed. Alcohol and illegal drugs are obvious examples of abused substances, but abuse of prescription drugs accounts for much of the substance abuse among women who experienced violence. Sleeping pills, pain killers and tranquilizers are the more commonly abused prescription drugs. Of the 336 children who accompanied their mothers to the shelter, the majority were found to have been abused in some manner. One-half of the abused children displayed behavioral and emotional problems severe enough to require referral to treatment agencies.