Results are presented and analyzed from a qualitative study that aimed mainly to compare the social representations regarding alcoholism made by alcoholics undergoing treatment at the Fazenda do Sol Rehabilitation Center, in Campina Grande, Paraíba, with those made by their relatives. Twelve semistructured interviews were held: six with alcoholics and six with their relatives. These interviews were subjected to thematic analysis as proposed by Bardin. The interviewees generally represented alcoholism as a disease and said that individuals needed help to recover from it. Furthermore, alcoholism was represented as something that caused losses, as the act of excessive drinking, as an inherited dependence, as a punishment or as something of demonic nature. Regarding the reasons that led them to chemical dependence, most of the interviewees attributed their dependence to family problems and friendships.
Social representations; Alcoholism; Alcoholics undergoing treatment