The real motivation behind domestic violence
Alcoholic Myth-of-the-Month: "Although substance abuse, unemployment and poverty may add fuel to the situation, a desire for control and power over the partner is the real motivator behind [domestic violence]."
So says Jule Klotter in the November 2004 "Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients," citing the American Bar Association's Commission on Domestic Violence and the American Medical Association "Domestic Violence," www.medem.com. This is yet one more instance of confusing cause and effect.
Substance addiction (not "abuse"), which is a genetic disorder causing the afflicted person to process drugs in such a way as to cause distortions of perception and memory that result in destructive behaviors, is usually the fuel behind domestic violence. Addiction, especially to the drug alcohol, makes the addict ...
