The paper discusses the paradox that is present in Primary Health Care (PHC): on the one hand, there are clinical technologies and opportunities to address patients who are problem drinkers and, on the other hand, it is verified that this kind of care is not effective for a considerable portion of those users. This paper is a critical and narrative bibliographic review whose results approach: the delimitation of this paradox; the health professionals' and their patients' difficulties to, respectively, provide and request interventions on patterns of problematic alcohol consumption; the applications and limitations of the motivational techniques, like the brief interventions in PHC; finally, some issues concerning professional training in health are discussed. It is concluded that it is necessary to promote a research agenda that deepens the understanding of the complex psycho-cultural meanings that this issue involves, particularly in Brazil.
Primary health care; Alcohol-related disorders; Clinical competence; Communication barriers; Barreras de comunicación