Pecado, crime ou doença? representações sociais da dependência química

Abstract

Drug addiction is a relevant social problem in the contemporary society, affecting thousands of individuals, and ignoring distinctions of social class, gender, race or religious beliefs. Considering that most of the research addressed to this phenomenon comes from medicine and psychology, the aim of this dissertation was to incorporate this field in the realm of social sciences, analyzing addiction as a phenomenon with various social meanings. Although this work doesn't concentrate on the biological and psychological variables of the object, the focus of this research was to analyze how certain social representations (sin, crime and disease) are associated with drug addiction and influence the social construction of labels and stigma of this particular type of transgression. The field research was accomplished mostly, in centers for recovery of addiction and mutual help groups such as Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Using qualitative methodologies such as participant observation, interview and focal groups. The subjects of the research were addicts and alcoholics in recovery, therapists, doctors, social workers, policemen and clerics, all of them involved directly with problems related with abuse of licit and illicit drugs. It was verified that addiction is more defined as a disease, but it’s a special kind of pathology that also incorporates representations of religion, moral and law. The subject of the solidarity among addicts was also approached, as well as the presuppositions of the gift, considered an important element of recovery and sociability.