The experience of caring for an alcoholic woman in the family

This study aims at investigating the care practices developed by the family of an alcoholic woman and understanding her perception of the care she is receiving. It is a case study, developed using a qualitative approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, performed in 2008 in a middle-class family home in a town in southern Brazil. The data were later submitted to analysis. The results show that the care provided by the family is centered on the needs for food, hygiene, sleep, rest and the transporting of the woman to specialized detoxification services, and that the woman views these actions as a form of control and punishment due to her addiction. We highlight the way the family cares for the woman and how this changed as her alcoholism evolved.