“Ahí voy a estar hasta que Dios me preste vida”. Mujeres en grupos de Alcohólicos Anónimos durante la emergencia sanitaria por el COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: women have increased the consumption of alcohol, affecting their well-being, to this is added the situation of lag they face in receiving specialized treatment, treating their ailments in mutual-help groups, this scenario affects social and gender inequalities. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates these conditions, affecting specific life situations of women and their health. Objective: to understand the experience of women who receive support for their recovery due to problems due to alcohol consumption in groups of Alcoholics Anonymous in the context of COVID-19. Method: qualitative study. Sampling by opportunity defined the participation of four women from “AA”. During May 2020, telephone interviews were conducted under informed consent. A thematic analysis was developed and Atlas.ti was used. The perspective on collective health and gender guided the analysis. Results: when analyzing the information, three categories were identified. The first contextualizes the recovery experiences of women. The following categories reveal the situations experienced in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing. The findings were: gender roles and stereotypes are reaffirmed by expressing harassment and discrediting; family burdens and worries increase; participation in its recovery decreased. Discussion and conclusions: in the context of COVID-19, the participation of AA women in their recovery decreased, putting their well-being at risk, despite the fact that international organizations recommended continuing the care of people with mental health problems and incorporating community actions.