By Joseph Kertis
October is here, and that means Domestic Violence Awareness Month is upon us. This month is a designation observed annually in America to spread awareness about the important issue of domestic violence. The intent is to spread awareness and information and help people connect with resources. But this year, with so many serious public health issues afflicting our Nation, it would be easy for the event to pass by without receiving the attention it deserves.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused addiction rates to skyrocket nationally, but it may have had a profound effect on the issue of domestic violence. Growing evidence shows the pandemic has made intimate partner violence more common and often more severe. Surveys worldwide have shown domestic abuse spiking since January of 2020, jumping markedly compared to the same period in 2019.
The United Nations refers to this international phenomenon as a “shadow pandemic,” a pandemic of domestic abuse within the COVID-19 pandemic. But there may be a link between the two tragedies that is being overlooked: the connection between Covid, addiction, and domestic violence.
While 2020 brought the highest death toll our country has ever seen, thanks to the coronavirus, drug overdose rates played a major part as well. More than 93,000 people died by overdose last year, also a record-breaking tragedy. This was far more than died during the height of the “opioid epidemic” of the 2000s.
According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, up to 60% of domestic violence crimes are committed by someone with substance use disorder. Further, some form of substance use precedes nearly half of all domestic violence assaults. One report revealed that 92% of men who assaulted their female partners had used substances on the day of the assault.
There is hope that as the number of COVID cases declines and we return to some semblance of normal, drug overdose rates will decline and, subsequently, domestic violence incidents. But unfortunately, there’s little evidence to suggest that things were “normal” before the pandemic. Drug overdose deaths in the United States rose 4.6% in 2019 to 70,980, including 50,042 deaths involving opioids. So, things were already quite bad.
According to Marcel Gemme of addicted.org, a former intake specialist for substance abuse treatment facilities, there is a strong addiction and domestic violence. “Individuals become intoxicated and or under the influence of drugs, and violent and hostile emotions come to the surface. Alcohol and other drugs act on brainmechanisms that cause a high-risk individual to engage in aggressive and violent behavior.”
It’s more important now than ever that people access lifesaving substance abuse treatment and domestic violence services. The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers a website where anyone can get anonymous help. The person can call, chat, or text and access templates to create a “Safety Plan.” These toolscan help potential victims lower the risk of being hurt by their partners and can mean the difference between life and death for someone.
Joseph Kertis is an experienced healthcare professional turned journalist. His experience in the field of substance abuse and addiction recovery provides a unique insight into one of our Nation’s most challenging epidemics. He utilizes this knowledge in his writing to give an expert viewpoint that spreads awareness through education.