The Problem with Alcohol

Abuse and Violence

Violent behaviour is closely associated with excessive drinking. Violence can take a variety of forms including physical violence and assault, abusive conversations, negative comments, sarcasm, other forms of verbal aggression and poor communication. Abuse can take a variety of forms including emotional abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse and sexual abuse. Some people are more vulnerable to these kinds of violence and abuse than others, for example, people who are marginalized with mental health issues, personality disorders, low educational values, who are unemployed and/or with children in care or who have a history of criminality. Some research (Timko, C., Moos, B.S. and Moos, R.H. (2009), Gender differences in 16-year trends in assault and police related problems due to drinking, Addictive Behaviors, 34, pp 744 – 750) has highlighted three personal characteristics (alongside heavy drinking), which play a significant role in making violence more likely. First, when individuals tend to be impulsive, have low level of self-confidence in avoiding alcohol abuse or are in the habit of venting negative feelings they are more likely to engage in violent behaviour. On the other hand, individuals who had well-developed problem solving skills, especially those that involved making plans before taking action, were so much less likely to engage in violent behaviour.

• Pray for victims of violence in family and social settings, which are attributed to alcohol abuse. • Pray for perpetrators of violence that they will experience the change of heart Christian conversion can bring. • Pray for people who speak cruel words to those who love them!