["The break in care": Mothers' experiences with alcohol abuse and care in Mexico].

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the experiences related to motherhood and care among mothers who attend mutual support groups to address alcohol-related harm in Mexico City and the State of Mexico. Drawing on the conceptual framework of collective health from a gender perspective, we contend that socioeconomic and gender-related factors influence the social determination of alcoholism and the health-disease-attention-care process. A qualitative study was conducted between May 2020 and January 2021, which included interviews with ten women who were selected based on specific criteria, as well as non-participant observation in a women's Alcoholics Anonymous group. The main findings show how trajectories of alcohol abuse and its management are interconnected with trajectories of care. From there, it was possible to identify a "break in care," a category that sheds light on mistreatment and the precariousness of life and health of women and their children.