Alcoholism in organisations from the perspective of social workers

The aim of this study was to verify the perception of social workers regarding professional intervention with alcoholic employees in an organisation in the electricity sector in Santa Catarina. To this end, social service professionals who work with the Programme for the Prevention and Treatment of Alcoholism and other Chemical Dependencies (PPTAD) were surveyed. In short, the programme is only valued by participating employees and some managers. They recognise and justify the importance of the social service working with the prevention and treatment programme. They point to the pre-defined financial resources, the guarantee of maintenance in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the possibility of treatment and recovery for the employee, the appreciation of the employee by the organisation, the clinics and the specialised professionals as positive points of the programme. While they point to the lack of commitment on the part of management and the family, prejudice and unpreparedness to deal with the disease as the biggest difficulties faced. They suggest improvements to the programme, such as greater commitment from management, greater investment in training and prevention.