Vodka and Violence

drawing by marguerita
A potential outcome among married men who drink heavily, is domestic violence.
Binge drinking is defined as consuming 5 drinks in a single sitting for men (4 for women) or 80 g (roughly 6 standard US drinks) of ethanol at 1 sitting.^9,10 Survey data from Bobak et al.⁷ reveal that nearly one third of Russian males drink at least a quarter liter of vodka (which contains 78.5 g of ethanol) at 1 sitting at least once per month. This pattern of heavy episodic drinking, together with the consumption of distilled spirits that result in faster and stronger intoxication and have been shown to be related to homicide elsewhere,¹¹ likely influences self-control in potentially violent situations.http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1447353

Alcohol does not and cannot make one person abuse another.
So why is alcohol consumption associated with domestic abuse at all?

And when a wife tries to find a path for reasoning , the response is WHY SHOULD I?

Many authorities explain that “men who batter frequently use alcohol abuse as an excuse for their violence:any act of physical aggression against a partner such as pushing, shoving, kicking, grabbing, pulling hair, and beating.
They attempt to rid themselves of responsibility for the problem by blaming it on the effects of alcohol.”
“Economic control, sexual violence, and intimidation, for example, are often part of a batter’s ongoing pattern of abuse, with little or no identifiable connection to his use of or dependence on alcohol.”http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/controversies

Drink Too Much?

Here are practical suggestions for either cutting down or abstaining from alcohol along with tips for helping loved ones who have a drinking problem. Useful sources of help for alcohol and drinking abuse problems are also listed.

Some Questions

Could you or someone you care about drink too much? 1

• Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
• Does your drinking ever make you late for school or work?
• Does your drinking worry your family or friends?
• Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won't?
• Do you ever forget what you did while you were drinking?
• Do you ever get headaches or have hangovers after drinking?
• Have you started hanging out with heavy drinking friends?
• Do your friends use less alcohol than you do?
• Have you ever been in trouble because of your drinking?
• Do you ever borrow money or go without things in order to buy alcohol?
• Is drinking hurting your reputation?
• Do you feel a sense of power when drinking?
• Do you ever drink until your supply is gone?

• Set Goals

  Write your drinking goal on a piece of paper and put it where you can see it, such as on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror.

  I will start on this day ________.

  I will not drink more than ________ drinks in 1 day.

  I will not drink more than ______ drinks in 1 week.

  OR

  I will stop drinking alcohol.

  Have you ever lost friends because of your use of alcohol?
• Do you think you might have a drinking problem?

You don't have to take a drink just because it's offered to you.
Learn to say "NO".

Stay away from people who want you to drink more than you want to. Watch out for people, times, places or situations that encourage you to drink too much.
Be patient and live one day at a time. Changing behavior is difficult, as dieters and those attempting to stop smoking know. Setbacks and relapses are to be expected. Try to accept them with calm understanding and don't become discouraged.