A research study conducted by a UK charity named Alcohol Research UK, developed a research project with the aim to identify and link what the roles of alcohol was in domestic abuse relationships. The main aims of this project was to identify individuals who had previous or current domestic abuse convictions, individuals seeking guidance and just the general public, to explore whether alcohol played any role in their conflicts with their partners (Gilchrist, Ireland, Forsyth, Laxton & Godwin, 2014). The key findings of this project were that there showed a pattern of cases relating particularly to big events such as football matches. This could be because at events such as this one, there is a high chance that there could be a great deal of alcohol intake that could then progress into feelings of anger or other similar emotions.
Another key finding was that nearly two thirds of cases that were reported and logged to the police, were found to have at least one case where a partner believed to be under the influence of alcohol when the incident occurred. To conclude the article, the charity stated that the research conducted did have its limitations as linking alcohol and domestic abuse together is very complex. The article also provided future suggestions on how to research the issue in more depth, such as collecting a bigger number of participants and data and consider a theoretical approach when addressing the issue. In an article produced by (Foran & O'Leary, 2008), it is written that most violent crime perpetrators have been found under the influence of alcohol. The article also states that alcohol seems to be the common factor when it comes to violent and aggressive behaviors. These key findings of both journals seem to share a common factor of how alcohol can have a negative effect on relationships and certain individuals who consume alcohol may be prone to show aggressive behaviors. This article also approaches the question as to whether alcohol is the main factor and is considered a controversial subject to researchers and victims of domestic abuse. It states that some individuals may feel as though the blame is getting backtracked from the offender and is used as an excuse for their misconduct.
The World Health Organization supports the articles and the evidence shown above as it also highlights that there are strong links to the number of domestic abuse cases which involved the perpetrator to have been under the influence of alcohol. The report also stated key points as to what leads the offenders to commit violent crimes towards their partners, this key point emphasized that heavy drinkers can often make their partnerships stressful and unpleasant due to their state, that could lead to conflicts and in some cases even violence. The report also implements policies and how to deal with the issue as a world health organization. It highlights the importance of how health organizations have a huge role in how they are going to address issues relating to alcohol abuse and domestic violence. The policies need to address prevention strategies that could be used to prevent these cases and that would improve public health (World Health Organization, 2006). Linking to the question, the British Crime Survey also showed that victims who reported cases on domestic violence showed that 32% of those cases, victims believed that their partner was under the influence of alcohol. (Finney, 2004), discusses the links between alcohol and domestic abuse and supports the evidence from (Gilchrist, Ireland, Forsyth, Laxton & Godwin, 2014) and by (Foran & O'Leary, 2008), the report highlighted that heavy drinkers showed a high number of risk of offender behavior. The key points to consider is that the articles and reports shown all have vey similar links between alcohol and domestic abuse.
Even though some researches have admitted to the fact that there is not enough sufficient evidence to base that alcohol is the main factor of domestic abuse, it was clearly highlighted that alcohol use in domestic abuse is very common. A contradicting article published in 2006, states that particularly in the UK there is no in-depth research to link that alcohol is linked to domestic abuse. (Galvani, 2006), also highlights that the research they conducted showed that most female victims do not blame the alcohol use for the male perpetrator’s actions. The key findings of this article showed that agencies who specialize in substance abuse and domestic violence, must also acknowledge other issues relating to why domestic abuse occurs in order to help both the victim and the perpetrator.