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Addiction Therapy 2016
October 03-05, 2016
Volume 7, Issue 5(Suppl) J Addict Res Ther
ISSN:2155-6105 JART, an open access journal
conferenceseries .com
October 03-05, 2016 Atlanta, USA
5th International Conference and Exhibition on
Addiction Research & Therapy
Elizabeth Halpern, J Addict Res Ther 2016, 7:5(Suppl)
Cultural issues on alcohol addiction
Elizabeth Halpern
Central Navy Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
An innovative study conducted at the Center for Chemical Dependency of the Brazilian Navy, through an ethnographic
study and participant observation, examined the influence of this institution in the construction of patients’ alcoholism.
Cross-cultural issues must be taken into account in order to understand better certain drinking patterns in the workplace. For
that, it is believed that a socio-anthropological eye on alcoholism was relevant, since it unveiled one of the main findings of
this research: the alcoholic habitus. It refers to internalized patterns of behaviors, attitudes, and thoughts associated to ways
of drinking, mainly collectively. Drinking on board is a learned naval tradition, disseminated by beliefs and myths in favor of
alcoholic beverages during the working journey. The results motivate the application of protective procedures on behalf of the
servicemen and the organization.
Keywords: qualitative research; researcher-subject relations; alcoholism.
Biography
Elizabeth Halpern is a Psychologist and a Frigate-Commander of the Brazilian Navy, a specialist in Medical Psychology, a Master in Collective Health, and a PhD
in Mental Health. She dedicated 28 years in the Brazilian Navy hospitals and outpatient clinics, working as a chief and therapist, from prevention to rehabilitation,
giving lectures and courses to military personnel, assisting families, couples, adolescents, and children, in groups and individually. As the Chief of the Center for
Chemical Dependency during the last decade, she dedicated her practice towards addiction, and published 19 articles related to drinking practices in the workplace.
Presently, she is the Chief of the Health Department of the Central Navy Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.