Some people don’t regard alcohol consumption as a big deal. To be fair, alcohol use is usually not problematic for the occasional drinker who doesn’t overindulge. However, excessive alcohol use can have its drawbacks, and not just because of the physical problems that can result.
Some people are more likely to commit crimes if they’ve consumed alcohol, and they can be averitable menace to society in these instances. These individuals often need either inpatient or outpatient alcohol rehab if they’re going to get their lives back on track.
Let’s talk about a few of the terrifying stats that go along with some of the most serious alcohol-related crimes.
Child Abuse
Child abuse is obviously terrible, no matter how or why it happens. However, there’s a link between child abuse and alcohol that should not be ignored.
About 4 out of every 10 individuals who abuse their children have admitted that they were under the influence of alcohol when they did it. That’s 40%, so it’s not a statistically insignificant number. It’s proof positive that parents who abuse alcohol are a potential danger to their kids.
Intimate Partner Violence
The term intimate partner violence has replaced domestic violence in some circles. The people who do it are often abusers of alcohol.
Of those who were victims of violence by their partner, two-thirds of these said that alcohol played a part in it. These individuals may have had it in them to attack their partners anyway, but it’s not hard to see that alcohol exacerbated these tendencies.
Aggravated Assault
Aggravated assaults can happen when a stranger attacks someone they don’t know, or they can also occur if someone goes after an acquaintance. If someone has violent mood swings, that’s a warning sign that alcohol is becoming a problem for them.
In aggravated assault cases, individuals who have consumed alcohol account for about 27%, more than a quarter of such crimes. Again, it shows a link between alcohol abuse and problematic behaviors.
Sexual Assaults
Sexual assaults happen far too often. They happen not so much because of sexual attraction but because the assailant wants to exert control over the victim. They also want them to feel humiliation and fear.
Not surprisingly, there’s a link between alcohol and sexual assaults or rapes. That’s because alcohol use lowers inhibitions. About 37% of these types of sex crimes involve an attacker who consumed alcohol.
Robbery
If someone has it in their head to rob someone else, they don’t have to be drunk to do it. Again, though, alcohol lowers inhibitions, and what might appear unreasonable to a sober person may seem more appealing or rational to someone under the influence.
About 15% of robberies are committed by someone who has been drinking. That’s not as many as some of the other crimes on this list, but it’s still a statistically significant number.
Alcohol and crime go together, and it’s one of this substance’s dangers. Be cautious around someone who has been drinking for this reason.