| Today in the course of my work I came across | | | | experiences. These studies seem to indicate that the |
| some statistics on women who are victims of | | | | physical bodies of victims are affected- even in the |
| Intimate Partner Violence. It seems that 46% of | | | | absence of any current victimization. This is not unlike |
| women enrolled in an HMO in Idaho had suffered | | | | the state of a Second Hand Addict or codependent, |
| Intimate Partner Violence, sometimes called domestic | | | | whose abuse may be emotional or mental, but who |
| abuse or spousal abuse. Although the abuse had | | | | suffers repeated physical ailments that mimic his or |
| ended, 5 years later their average healthcare costs | | | | her substance-abusing counterpart. In other words |
| were 20% higher than other women. Their health | | | | the state of codependents and domestic violence |
| care costs were also two times higher for mental | | | | victims alike suggests that real physical ailments |
| health visits and 6 times higher for alcohol or drug | | | | manifest not only from real physical stressors, but |
| visits. This study was published by the Us | | | | also from mental/emotional stressors- even if those |
| Department of Health and Human Services: Agency | | | | stressors live in the past. |
| for Healthcare Research and Quality. | | | | So as we contemplate this from a perspective of |
| These statistics say a myriad of things to us. They | | | | addiction, we realize that it is imperative that we |
| speak to the long term affects of abuse and | | | | begin to converse about the plight of Second Hand |
| victimization. They speak to the mental health of | | | | Addicts, who, like domestic violence victims, are |
| victims. And they probably indicate that people who | | | | getting emotionally, mentally, and physically ill from |
| have been victimized turn to alcohol or drugs, for | | | | the experience- whether or not they are being |
| reasons we can only guess. | | | | 'victimized.' Since one in 10 people are addicted, and |
| But for our conversation about Second Hand | | | | since they all have mothers, fathers, siblings, children, |
| Addiction (the plight of those who love addicted | | | | and significant others, that is a lot of sickness going |
| people) we can say this: One known fact is that a | | | | around. And all of that sickness has a hidden |
| significant number of women and even men who are | | | | relationship to substance abuse that goes largely |
| abused live with active substance abuse that sets a | | | | unnoticed- since the connection is indirect. |
| climate for the violent episodes. Digging a little further | | | | I for one would like to see a study that follows the |
| we can say that victims of such incidents are | | | | health care costs and services of codependents- a |
| profoundly and negatively affected by their | | | | study which I believe would be quite unnerving. |