Evidence points to clear links between substance misuse and intimate partner violence (IPV) in the UK. This briefing paper draws on research to suggest that the correlation between IPV and the use of alcohol is particularly strong, and that the prevalence of IPV among those accessing services for drug and alcohol problems is greater than in the general population. Government policy recognises the importance of recovery from drug and alcohol problems and addressing domestic violence and violence against women and girls. Associations are made between these two spheres however these links are subtle, requiring drug and alcohol service managers to make these links explicit in their conversations with commissioners.

There is concern that not enough is being done within substance misuse services to offer support to those who have experienced IPV as either perpetrators or victims. Services face a number of barriers in supporting the victims and perpetrators of IPV, in part as a result of workforce issues surrounding professional and cultural competence and the challenges associated with disclosing a behaviour which is both sensitive and normalised for many people within drug and alcohol services.

An absence of integrated support for substance misuse and domestic violence and abuse can impact negatively upon recovery from drug and alcohol problems; IPV might be thought of as a kind of ‘negative recovery capital’. Recommendations for substance misuse services, domestic violence services, and commissioners and decision-makers emerged from the roundtable, aimed at supporting a wider range of service users’ needs and working towards a more sustained recovery.