Why We Serve (and Drink) Alcohol at Substance Abuse Events and Why We Should Stop: An Autoethnography

INTRODUCTION:

Alcohol consumption is fully integrated into rituals and celebrations, generating social pressures that affect individuals, especially those with a history of drug dependence. The normalization of alcohol use is evident in family gatherings and social events, but also in academic and professional events, where the expectation to drink is widespread. This expectation occurs even in training and scientific contexts specialized in drug dependence.

OBJECTIVE:

In this study, I set out to request that the leadership of the main national and international congresses stop serving alcohol at their official events, using the same arguments typically employed to persuade the general public of the need to create normalized drug-free environments by Spanish governmental institutions, and second, I aimed to reflexively analyze how alcohol is consumed in these settings and what happens when this behavior is questioned. To do so, I analyze my experiences and observations at several congresses and describe the counterarguments I encountered after requesting that alcohol cease being served at the main Spanish and international drug dependence congresses, as well as one of Europe’s longest-running master’s programs in drug dependence.

METHOD:

I employed a qualitative autoethnographic design, combining my personal accounts from four drug dependence congresses and my experience as a professor in a specialized master’s program.

FINDINGS:

The study revealed that alcohol consumption is common at specialized academic and training events, which contradicts certain prevention discourses. Most of the organizations resisted my proposed change, and they justified the presence of alcohol as an aspect of social and gastronomic culture.

CONCLUSIONS:

The normalization of alcohol consumption at events oriented toward the prevention and treatment of drug dependence presents serious contradictions in professional practice. This article is an invitation for professionals and academics to reflect on this issue—beyond personal preferences— and promote spaces where non-consumption of this drug becomes the norm, just as we advocate for the rest of society. Reflecting on these dynamics and the will to change are fundamental to creating a healthier