Introduction:

Alcoholism, understood in the s of consumption with dependence, is a concern affecting both men and women, although with is an upward tendency among the latter ones. This is approached with a different complexity, in association with the social dimension, the gender perspective, and concealment.

Objective:

To analyze the ways in which the cultural dimension affects several aspects, specifically gender, in the life paths of alcoholic women.

Methods:

A research with a qualitative and cross-sectional approach was carried out. The ethno-sociological method of life stories was used, based on case studies.

Results:

The experience of alcohol consumption is marked by 1) initial consumption in childhood, which facilitates subsequent access in a teenage stage, a stage associated with repeated consumption and linked to social acceptance in terms of gender expectations; 2) adult consumption, the most problematic period from the perspective of dependency, concealment, and associated experiences of violence; and 3) rehabilitation, an indefinite process whose beginning is associated with the gender experience. All stages of alcoholism, in the life stories analyzed, are related to gender, which is expressed mainly through stigma, vulnerability, violence, and concealed consumption.

Conclusions:

Alcoholism rehabilitation processes in women require an interdisciplinary perspective integrating the gender approach.

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