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which some individuals experience when using drugs and which may lead to violence. Others state that the high correlations merely result from the overlap of two widespread social problems: domestic violence and substance abuse. Clinical experience cautions against viewing domestic violence as being caused by alcoholism, drug addiction or substance abuse. Such a view can misdirect interventions solely to the chemical use rather than to the domestic violence. For those who are addicted to alcohol and other drugs, stopping domestic violence behavior is difficult without also stopping the addictions. However, it is not sufficient to treat the chemically addicted perpetrator of domestic violence solely for either addiction or domestic violence. Interventions for both require one of the following: (a) concurrent interventions for domestic violence and substance dependence/abuse, (b) inpatient substance abuse treatment with a mandatory follow-up program for domestic violence, or (c) an involuntary substance abuse commitment (which is done in some, but not all, states) with rehabilitation directed at both the addiction and the domestic violence. The presence of alcohol or drugs is highly relevant to the assessment of lethality. The use of, or addiction to, substances may increase the potential lethality of domestic violence and must be carefully considered when addressing the safety of the victim, the children, and the community (Browne, 1987). F. Domestic Violence Is Not Caused by Anger The role of anger in domestic violence CHAPTER 1 28 UNDERSTANDING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 29 is complex and cannot be simplistically reduced to one of cause-and-effect. Some battering episodes occur when the perpetrator is not angry or emotionally charged, and others occur when the perpetrator is emotionally charged or angry. Some abusive conduct is carried out calmly to gain the victim’s compliance. Some displays of anger or rage by the perpetrator are merely tactics used to intimidate the victim, and can be quickly altered when the abuser thinks it is necessary (e.g., upon arrival of police). Current research indicates that there is a wide variety of arousal or anger patterns among identified perpetrators as well as among those who are identified as not abusive (Gottman et al., 1995; Jacobsen et al., 1994). These studies suggest that there may be different types of batterers. Abusers in one cluster actually reduced their heart rates during observed marital conflicts, suggesting a calm preparation for fighting rather than an out-of-control or angry response. Such research challenges the notion that domestic violence is merely an anger problem and raises questions about the efficacy of anger-management programs for batterers. Remembering that domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors rather than isolated, individual events helps to explain the number of abusive episodes that occur when the perpetrator is not angry. Even when experiencing anger, the perpetrator still chooses to respond to that anger by acting abusively. Ultimately, the individual is responsible for how he expresses anger or any other emotion. G. Domestic Violence Is Not Caused by Stress Life is filled with many different sources of stress (e.g., stress from the job, stress from not having a job, relationship conflicts, losses, illness, discrimination, or poverty). People respond to stress in a wide variety of ways (e.g., problem solving, substance abuse, eating, laughing, withdrawal, and violence) (Bandura, 1973). People choose ways to reduce stress according to what they have learned about strategies that have worked for them in the past. It is important to hold individuals responsible for the choices they make regarding how they reduce stress, especially when those choices involve violence or other illegal behaviors. A robbery or a mugging by a stranger is not excused simply because the perpetrator claims he is stressed. Similarly, the perpetrator of domestic violence cannot be excused simply because he is stressed. Moreover, as already noted, many episodes of domestic violence occur when the perpetrator is not emotionally charged or stressed. Since domestic violence is a variety of tactics repeated over time for the purpose of controlling the victim, specific stresses are less meaningful in explaining a longitudinal pattern of