ABSTRACT
This text is the result of a literature review about the current conceptions and hegemonic formulations on alcoholism, in order to identify the principal propositions to its etiology. The obtained results were analyzed according to the mental health formulations based on a Marxist critical epidemiology, with the objective to place the identified concepts in a historical context. The results indicated that that the bio-psycho-social etiology, with prevalence in biological determination, has been proposed for recurrent explanation of alcoholism. This explanation demonstrates an individualization about alcohol abuse and a fragmentation of the multiple determinations that compose this problem.
Keywords:
alcoholism; etiology; mental health; Marxist critique epidemiology
