Safety and Sobriety Manual
Best Practices in Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse
January 2005
Definitions
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence as defined by the American Psychological Association (APA, 1996) is: "a pattern of abusive behaviors including a wide range of physical, sexual, and psychological maltreatment used by one person in an intimate relationship against another to gain power unfairly or maintain that person's misuse of power, control and authority." Domestic violence, simply stated, is an attempt to control the behavior of an intimate partner. Abuse is a misuse of power that uses the bond of intimacy, trust, and dependency to make an intimate partner, man or woman, feel unequal, powerless and unsafe. Domestic violence is a crime under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act (725 ILCS 511 12A-1)(750 ILCS 60).
Substance Abuse and Addiction
Substance abuse is a destructive pattern of use of drugs including alcohol, which leads to clinically significant (social, occupational, medical) impairment or distress. Often the substance use continues in spite of significant life problems related to that use. When a person begins to exhibit symptoms of tolerance (the need for significantly larger amounts of the substance to achieve intoxication) and withdrawal (adverse reactions after a reduction of the substance), it is likely that the person has progressed from abuse to dependence, or addiction. Addiction is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic impaired control over drinking alcohol or using other drugs, preoccupation with drugs or alcohol, use of drugs or alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. Addiction is a treatable disease and long-term recovery is possible. - Adapted from definitions developed by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society for Addiction Medicine
Coordinated services
In this document, "coordinated" describes a situation where AODA and DV services are provided by different agencies. The services may be provided at the cross agency (i.e. AODA services provided to DV clients at the AODA agency) or in-house (i.e. AODA services provided to DV clients at the DV agency by the AODA agency), but in either situation, there is active case management between the AODA agency and the DV agency. In some large agencies with separate AODA and DV programs in different settings and no shared staff, we could also use the term "coordinated" to describe the services.
Integrated services
In this document, "integrated" describes a situation where AODA and DV services are provided by the same agency, and there is some sharing of staff. The programs may be theoretically integrated (i.e. both AODA and DV services are based on a common perspective or practice model, such as gender-based power or cognitive behavioral treatment) or just physically integrated (i.e. offered at the same setting with some staff overlap and consulting). In some large agencies with separate AODA and DV programs in different settings and no shared staff, "coordinated" is a better description of the services.
