Alcohol and Sexual Assault
Sexual assaults happen all too often especially when there is alcohol involved. But let's be clear: To say that because a person is drinking alcohol that sexual assault is inevitable -- or, worse, acceptable -- is not accurate. Sexual assault is caused by the offender, not by the alcohol. Studies have shown that if people do not consider sexually assaulting someone while they are sober, then they likely won't do so when they are under the influence of alcohol.
Here is another way to think about alcohol and sexual assault: Putting alcohol into your system does not cause you to sexual assault someone any more than putting gasoline in your car causes you to drive home. Gasoline merely makes it easier to do what you want to do, drive a car home.
According to experts in the United States, drinking is often associated with aggression and violence. While in most European countries, having an alcoholic beverage is like having a daily cup of coffee and is not necessarily an excuse for acting violently.
Drinking alcohol clearly impairs our nervous systems as it is a depressant which may result in slurred speech, short-term memory loss, slower reaction times, and more. Some research indicates that a large quantity of alcohol, or any quantity for alcoholics, can increase a sense of personal power and domination over others. An increased sense of power and control can, in turn, make it more likely that an abuser will attempt to exercise that power and control.
Abusers rely upon alcohol as an excuse as to why they acted violently: "I couldn't help myself; I was drunk." And they often defend their actions by blaming the victim: "Well, she had been drinking and wanted it, too." Tragically, this is commonly seen as a socially acceptable way of dodging responsibility for sexual assault.
At CAV, we hear directly from many batterers who claim that alcohol or drugs caused them to abuse their intimate partners. As one man in a domestic violence offender program said, “When I first came to your program, I told you that I hit my wife because I was drunk; now I realize that I drank so that I could hit her.”
When a person says "no" to sex or indicates "no" through his or her actions it becomes a sexual assault. Despite that refusal, a perpetrator takes control and forces another to have sex against their will. But from that moment of "no", any sexual contact is abuse. It's not explained away because of the victim's manner, behavior or appearance. It's not because of circumstances, such as at a party where "we all were drunk anyway, and no one seemed to mind."
We must let go of the idea that alcohol is the cause of domestic and sexual violence. If we as a community accept the fact that alcohol abuse is one problem and domestic/sexual violence is another, we can affect change by holding offenders accountable for their choices to behave violently.
Joella Montoya is the executive director of Community Against Violence (CAV), which offers FREE confidential support and assistance for child and adult survivors of sexual and domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and child/elder abuse; community and school violence prevention programs; re-education groups for people using power and control in their relationships; counseling; shelter; transitional housing; and a community thrift store. To talk or get information on services, call CAV’s 24-hour HELPline at 575-758-9888 or 24-hour TEXTline 575-770-2706. TaosCAV.org
