Nearly four out of every ten violent crimes has a common element. That link is not the race or age of the suspect but rather the fact that he or she was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offense.

One type of violent crime that is associated with alcohol is domestic violence. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, two-thirds of victims who experienced violence at the hands of a former or current romantic partner reported that alcohol was involved. In contrast, when the assailant was a stranger, only 31 percent of the victims perceived the assault to be alcohol- related. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in December 1999 reports that the risk of domestic violence more than triples if the male partner is an alcohol abuser...