Domestic abuse groups have raised this as an important issue and emphasised the need for
care to be taken in order to avoid the use of damaging victim-blaming narratives that
ultimately make matters worse for those caught up in domestic abuse. The campaign against
government posters stating that ‘one in three reported rapes happen when the victim has
been drinking’ demonstrates this, as they were seen as shifting the blame onto rape victims.43
Alcohol has been found to be associated with victimisation, with research finding victims of
domestic assault to have higher alcohol consumption that non-victims, and that the risk of
violence increased with levels of consumption.