The object of this study was to analyze the concepts of university-level healthcare professionals working in the Family Health Strategy on the attention given in healthcare to users of alcohol and other drugs. Data collection involved the use of a semi-structured interview script with 12 participants, including four doctors, four nurses and four psychologists. The data obtained was subjected to thematic content analysis and interpreted in the light of psychoanalytic theoretical contributions. The results indicate that the participants' conception of the users is permeated by prejudice and stigma, creating difficulties for developing health actions, and generally leads to just making referrals. These results suggest the involvement of participants in a denegative pact, i.e. an unconscious alliance that implies renouncing themselves from users of alcohol and other drugs. Further studies are needed so that one can understand the concepts of health care professionals inserted in other levels of care and thus identify any other obstacles to effectively apply public policy.
Drugs; Concepts; Healthcare professionals; Public health policies; Early intervention
