Alcohol Consumption in a Quilombola – Maroon Community in the Northeast of Brazil

The objective of this study is to identify patterns of alcohol consumption among men and women in a Quilombola – Maroon community in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. We aim un-derstand the reasons for alcohol use, identify strategies, care resources and social sup-port. As instruments we used: socio-demographic questionnaire (64 families), AUDIT and semi-structured interviews (N=12). We identified a greater abuse of alcohol in men (50.1%. N=61) than women (8.2% N=32). Findings about the reasons for alcohol consumption by the men were related to socialization strategies, social approval and pleasure, and for the women as a resource for solving problems and dealing with living conditions. There was little recognition of social support, a lack of seeking out health services, as care strategies and forms of help were found in religious or familial dimensions. We conclude that the living conditions aligned to the social spaces of gender influence alcohol consumption patterns.