My dad often gets drunk. Is that why he hits my mum?

Alcohol doesn’t cause domestic abuse (nor do drugs, for that matter). However, it can make the abuse worse. People sometimes use alcohol or drugs as an excuse for being abusive – but there are no excuses for violence or abuse. People choose to be abusive. Sometimes abusers blame alcohol or drugs for their behaviour, others say it’s because they are stressed, or depressed about work or money. Other people might say that a person deserved to be hurt because of something they did. None of these are true – and no one deserves to be abused.

Posted in: What's Abuse?