Abstract
A pioneering study conducted at the Center for Chemical Dependency (CEDEQ) of the Brazilian Navy (MB), by means of an ethnographic study with participant observation, investigated the influence of MB in the identification of alcoholism among patients. This article presents one of the research results, namely the dual commitment of this Outpatient Clinic to the patients and to the institution. The results encompass topics such as the organization and functioning of CEDEQ, therapeutic contract, anonymity and confidentiality, discharge, relapses, readmission and abandonments, secondary gains, “scams” and sanctions in addition to the ambiguous perceptions about treatment. In essence, these findings clarify a little more about the institutional intricacies that contribute to lead many patients to alcoholism.
Key words
Qualitative research; Researcher-subject relations; Alcoholism