Introduction

For centuries, society has legitimised men's violence to women at the hands of their fathers or husbands. In their review of the history of men's violence to women, Dobash and Dobash (1979, p 50) highlighted evidence from the 16th to 19th centuries, which saw the ‘legitimate use of physical chastisement’ meted out to wives, children and servants from the husband or father of the house. In some cultures and families, this belief in a man's right physically to ‘chastise’ remains, in spite of attempts to legislate against it since the end of the 19th century. Independence and equality are not an automatic right for many women; daring to challenge their father's or husband's ownership and power still results in domestic and sexual abuse and murder. A brief glimpse at current local and national daily news will find yet another woman abused, scarred or killed by the men in her life who are supposed to love her. We still live in a society where almost two women each week are killed by a partner, ex-partner or someone known to them (Coleman et al, 2011). We still live in a society where rates of known domestic abuse are depressingly high (ONS, 2014) and where the legal system struggles to respond (Topping, 2014). Domestic abuse is firmly rooted in our histories and cultures. It is not ideology; it is fact.

We also live in a society where alcohol use and drunkenness have been an integral part of maleness and masculinity but where women's use of alcohol has been frowned upon at best.

This chapter provides an overview of the role of alcohol in the lives of women who experience violence and abuse. It draws on research evidence about women's use of alcohol in the context of violence and abuse, outlines theories of alcohol's role in violence and draws on frontline practice experience to highlight good practice for working with women who experience alcohol problems and domestic abuse. It begins with a brief overview of the definition of domestic violence and abuse (hereafter termed ‘domestic abuse’ for brevity) and its impact on women and children.

Domestic abuse

The definition of domestic abuse has developed over the years alongside our understanding of its gendered nature and, most recently, our greater awareness of abuse within young people's intimate relationships.