Alcohol and domestic violence

Alcohol and domestic violence

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A historical perspective on how alcohol and family violence have been impacted by legislative changes

There is a connection between alcohol abuse and domestic violence. In many cases, domestic violence is accompanied by excessive alcohol consumption for long periods of time. Drinking is not the cause of domestic violence, but it can lead to the situation becoming volatile and hence make the abusive episodes more frequent and severe. This is due to the fact that alcohol abuse increases stress on the entire family and hence leads to a reduction in common sense when it comes to behaviors that are socially acceptable. When one is under the influence of alcohol, they have increased violent feelings and hence end up acting violently.

There have been numerous legislative changes that have been going on throughout history. Legislatures have been passing statutes that authorize criminal justice officials to handle domestic violence offenders in a more aggressive way. The domestic violence laws are meant to reduce subsequent violence after it has occurred or prevent a new case of violence from occurring.For instance, changes in legislation have led to domestic violence cases to be changed from being misdemeanors to felonies (Bryfonski, 2013). There have also been numerous legislation changes on alcohol abuse such as increasing taxes on alcohol beverages. This is intended to limit people from purchasing alcohol due to the increased prices. There is also change in legislation when it comes to decreasing the legal blood alcohol content level when driving. This prevents people from excessive consumption of alcohol and hence they do not get to a level where they become violent.

There are recent new punch laws that have been put in place. These laws are against domestic violence that is fueled by alcohol consumption that applies both in the streets and in homes. The new law stipulates that anyone who is under the influence of alcohol and found guilty on inflicting one-punch and someone looses their life, they will have to face a minimum sentence of eight years or a maximum of 25 years. On the other hand, those people who are found guilty of alcohol fueled assault or sexual assault will face a minimum mandatory sentence of two to five years.

The changes in legislation have made alcohol and domestic violence serious offenses that attract heavy punishments. These changes have led to a significant change in alcohol and domestic violence cases throughout history.

Impact of alcohol abuse on the addicted individual and those around them

Alcohol abuse can impact different aspects of the addicted individual’s life. If an individual consumes alcohol for a long period of time, they can end up developing serious health related complications. The effects of alcohol abuse on the health of an individual can be manifested in as chronic diseases, injuries and accidents. Intoxication is associated with injuries, accidents, domestic violence and deaths. Long term alcohol consumption can also cause brain damage to the addicted individual. The individual might experience memory loss, blackouts and anxiety. An individual can also end up developing permanent brain damage and mental health problems. There are diseases such as alcohol dependence or alcoholism that can be mainly linked with alcohol abuse. An addicted individual is also at risk of developing cancer of the mouth and throat. A disease such as liver cirrhosis is mainly caused by alcohol abuse (Bryfonski, 2013).

Alcohol abuse also has some social effects on an individual in terms of how they interact with other people. Alcohol affects the part of an individual’s brain that controls their judgement, coordination, concentration, emotions and behavior. This makes addicted individuals at risk of being victims of crime such as mugging, domestic violence and rape. They are also at risk of being involved in criminal or antisocial behavior such as domestic violence, fights and theft. An individual under the influence of alcohol is also at risk of having an accident such as accidental fires, road accident, accidents at work or falling down. An addicted individual can also be at risk of losing their job due to poor performance or being repeatedly absent. Alcohol abuse impacts the financial stability of an individual since they end up spending so much money to sustain their drinking behavior.

Alcohol abuse does not affect the addicted individual only it also affects those who are around them. Alcohol abuse leads to damaging of relationships between family members and friends. This is because the addicted individual ends up changing their behavior which affects their family and friends. The individual might end up being violent and hence those who are around them will be affected by their violent behavior. Alcohol abuse puts so much stress on people who are around the addicted person. Family members and friends are obliged to cover for the individual’s drinking problem. They are forced to take the burden of lying on your behalf and working so as to be able to provide for the addict and themselves. They often pretend that nothing is wrong and hide whatever fears they have. However, their resentment and fears can end up taking a toll on them. The addicted person’s children are quite vulnerable and sensitive to this issue. They end up facing emotional trauma which potentially lasts for a long time (Galanter, 2002).

 The impact of family violence on both the perpetrator of family violence and those exposed to family violence

Domestic violence affects the perpetrator in various ways. First, the perpetrator might end up answering charges in court for their violence. If they are found guilty, they might fa.............