Violence In Substance Use Disorders: How Are They Related?
Substance use disorders can have a wide variety of repercussions, in some cases even violent tendencies.
In these lines we will delve into the possible relationship that exists between some of these pathologies due to drug use and hostile behavior or even violence trying to identify the causes and situations in which this type of behavior is most likely to take place.
Substance use disorders are one of the many types of psychopathological disorders that are contemplated in the main psychology diagnostic manuals, such as the DSM-V or the ICD-10. This range can include the abuse of elements such as alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals or other drugs, generally illegal in terms of their marketing. This consumption It becomes a disorder when it generates a dependency such that its consumption escapes the control of the individual and it becomes a necessity.
When you suffer from this pathology, it is very common to also experience a series of associated symptoms, which can be very diverse in nature, but the one that interests us in this case is that of violence in substance use disorders. These violent behaviors have a significantly higher prevalence in these individuals compared to the general population
In fact, studies indicate that a person addicted to any substance will be between 4 and 10 times more likely to maintain violent attitudes than those who do not abuse any of these products. The difference, therefore, is extremely worrying and allows us to establish violence in substance use disorders as one of the most important causes of these antisocial behaviors.
Furthermore, these studies indicate that It is not a specific substance that leads to violent behavior, but rather the fact of suffering from addiction, since the symptoms are shared among those people who consume substances as diverse as opiates, sedative drugs, hallucinogenic mushrooms, stimulant drugs such as cocaine and also cannabis. There are more types, but these are the ones that occupy the bulk of individuals with violent behavior.
The most recent meta-analysis on violence in substance use disorders brings together data from 18 different studies that have been published over the last three decades and accumulates data from almost 600,000 people with these pathologies and their aggressive behaviors. This work allows us to draw very interesting conclusions, some about the contexts where this violence is usually carried out.
Although several of the studies affect the amount of violent behavior that substance addicts carry out in the intrafamilial context, that is, in the category of gender violence or within the couple, the reality is that no difference was observed with respect to the other contexts, so the conclusion is that Violence in substance use disorders is generalized in any situation, not only that which occurs against the couple in the family home.
It is possible that these cases stand out more since, as a matter of probability, the partner is the person with whom the individual in question tends to spend the most time and therefore will be more likely to be the target of said violent attitudes. But this does not mean that people who abuse substances tend to be more aggressive in the family context compared to other contexts, but that they will be more aggressive in all of them.
Likewise, another important difference is observed in the results and it is that between cohort studies and case-control studies. In the cohort studies, that is, those in which the cases are observed and analyzed as they happen, it was concluded that there was a lower prevalence of these violent behaviors compared to those in which the case of people with drug addictions was compared. substances compared to a control group of individuals without said pathology.
Implications of this relationship
Leaving aside the divergences between the different perspectives provided by the types of studies analyzed, what is evident is that There is a generalized conclusion, and that is that in fact there is a problem of violence in substance use disorders Once we have this problem on the table, we must take the opportunity to find a solution that addresses the two situations we want to resolve.
On the one hand there is the fact of having individuals who are abusing harmful substances and therefore are experiencing a progressive deterioration on a physical, psychological and social level, which will be more or less accentuated depending on the level of consumption and the characteristics of the person, their protection and risk factors, the type of substance consumed, etc.
On the other hand, there is the violence exerted, which is but one of the many consequences that substance abuse is causing, with the exception that, unlike the majority of symptoms, this directly affects third parties, who are those who receive such aggressive behavior, whether verbally or physically.
This does not mean that they are the only victims of violence, because Even the aggressors themselves can also suffer the consequences whether it is finding oneself in dangerous situations that they have generated, such as arguments or fights, and even at the judicial level, and may be subject to complaints, arrests, sanctions and even prison sentences if the conduct exercised has been especially serious and justice is dictates it.
Once we are aware of the deep scope of the problem, we should understand the importance of dedicating more resources through specialized personnel and programs that help people addicted to substances to heal this pathology because once resolved, all the symptoms and repercussions would be eliminated, including the violent behaviors that we have already proven affect both the person who exercises it and especially those who receive it.
The importance of prevention
If we saw that to resolve cases of violence in substance use disorders it was essential to invest in adequate treatments that would achieve improvements and cures for these diseases, the truth is that Even more important is working to prevent these situations and dedicate all public resources that are necessary in that direction.
The logic of the matter is clear and unappealable, even at an economic level, because if we add the costs of detoxification programs, the possible medical costs for the consequences suffered, the emotional and social costs for the sick person and for all those around them and who have suffered from violence, the amount we obtain is much higher than what awareness campaigns would cost us to prevent this addiction from ever taking place.
Obviously, this It is something that is already being worked on and there are important foundations that constantly remind the most vulnerable population generally adolescents and young people, the risks associated with the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and a false sense of control, peer pressure and the search for strong emotions, among many other factors, can have terrible repercussions.
The key has to be consistency in these campaigns and adaptation to the language and form of communication of the youngest, since we know that it changes rapidly and therefore the message that reached them yesterday and was therefore effective, has no why be today and they can ignore it completely, destroying the entire prevention program and all the work and resources behind it.
A few years ago the most common thing was to carry out these campaigns mainly through television advertisements. However, today the paradigm has changed, and young people barely connect with these media, while they constantly communicate through their mobile phones. Therefore, it will be essential to take advantage of the entry point that social networks provide, applications in which adolescents are true experts.
A well-orchestrated campaign, with appropriate and spontaneous language, through a TikTok video or an Instagram photo, will probably be immensely more powerful than a television spot, a radio spot or another message launched through a media. more traditional communication. It will be of vital importance, therefore, for experts to make use of this possibility and thus work on the prevention of violence in substance use disorders.
