Following a brief overview of the etiology of both substance abuse and family violence, this article presents statistics on the incidence of both behaviors. The authors note that discrepancies in identification tools and definitions of abuse and violence make prevalence and incidence rates difficult to determine; in addition, many cases of family violence are not reported or recognized. Alcohol and other drug use have been repeatedly implicated in family violence, including wife battering and child abuse. This article discusses the dynamics and interaction between substance abuse and family violence in terms of risk factors, drugs and alcohol as disinhibitors, family communication dynamics, the violent adolescent, other family dynamics, and in utero and postpartum violence. 113 references