Alcohol is involved in just over half of all sexual assault cases in the US, but the relationship between the two is not causal. Research suggests that both perpetrators and victims had been drinking in about half of all sexual assaults, and in many cases, they knew each other beforehand. The victims’ alcohol consumption did not invite the sexual assault, but interfered with their ability to generate signals that could deter their attackers. The same impairments in judgment and perception may also explain why so many incidents of sexual assault involve abusers who have been drinking. Victims often blame themselves for being attacked or raped, and cultural or religious conventions may also influence them not to report the assault.
There is a strong correlation between alcohol and sexual assault, but it would be a mistake to think that because the relationship exists, drinking alcohol inevitably leads to sexual assault. Numerous research studies show that alcohol is involved in just over half of all sexual assault cases in the United States, as well as violent crime overall, but the relationship between the two is not causal. If there was indeed a causal relationship between alcohol and sexual assault, then it could be said that anyone who drank alcohol would commit sexual assault, which is not true.
Much of our knowledge of the connection between alcohol and sexual assault comes from academic research, because according to that research, most cases of sexual assault go unreported to law enforcement. This research suggests that not only did the perpetrators drink in about half of all sexual assaults, but about half of the victims had been drinking at the time they were attacked. In many cases, the perpetrator and the victim had been drinking together or in the same environment. In more than three-quarters of all sexual assault incidents, the perpetrator and the victim knew each other beforehand.
These findings have prompted some to conclude that at least part of the responsibility for sexual assault lies with the victim, the famous “blame the victim” defense. Further investigations suggest that the victims’ alcohol consumption did not so much “invite” the sexual assault as interfered with their ability to generate signals that could deter their attackers. In other words, because alcohol impairs both judgment and response to external events, a victim of sexual assault may not perceive a risky situation and may not even be able to clearly articulate her objections.
The same impairments in judgment and perception may also explain why so many incidents of sexual assault involve abusers who have been drinking, even without justifying their behavior. While it is difficult to support the idea that alcohol reduces inhibitions because they are learned and should not respond to chemical stimuli, the judgment-impairing properties of alcohol may make some men less sensitive to their own perceptions of sexual assault risk to a woman . This may explain why a man would rape a woman with whom he had been drinking and she passed out. Additionally, according to research, when men who have been drinking assault conscious women, their ability to understand a victim’s expression of reluctance to participate in sex is likely impaired.
An important fact to keep in mind when considering the relationship between alcohol and sexual assault is that even though alcohol is a depressant and dulls the senses, sexual assault is an activity that requires focus and concentration. Consider that the severely intoxicated person is often referred to as a “deteriorated.” So while the alcohol may have caused the abuser to believe he was doing nothing wrong, he must also overcome the effects of alcohol to achieve his goal of hers. This suggests that the abuser, while sober, viewed sexual assault as appropriate or at least desirable behavior; he may also have thought he could escape responsibility for the sexual assault while he and his victim are both under the influence of alcohol.
While there is a good body of research on the relationship between alcohol and sexual violence that supports these hypotheses, it is not well understood outside the academic and law enforcement communities. Therefore, victims often blame themselves for being attacked or raped; furthermore, cultural or religious conventions may also influence a victim not to report the assault. Despite the purported enlightenment, victims fear being ostracized or labeled “damaged goods.”
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