Alcoholism is one of the most stigmatized health conditions of the world, and this stigma is pointed as a significant barrier to provide service to patients. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the association between the stigma of alcoholism by primary health care professionals and their practices related to alcohol consumption. The study included 170 professionals from three small towns in Zona da Mata mineira, Brazil. Two instruments were used: a Preventive Practice for Alcohol Use Questionnaire, in order to determine the frequency in which these practices occur and Perception Model for Alcohol Use Questionnaire, with the purpose of evaluating the moralization in relation to alcoholism. The fact that alcoholism is a stigmatized condition was observed, however, professionals who moralize and who do not moralize alcoholism conduct practices of alcohol consumption with the same frequency. Thus, it is suggested that future studies should evaluate the practices using a broader method to identify how stigma is associated with such activities.
Alcoholism; Alcohol abuse; Stigma; Health care professionals; Primary Health Care
