The daily routine of teens at a Center for Psychosocial Care for Alcohol and Other Drugs in Brazil: realities and challenges

This study aimed to shed light on the daily reality of adolescents in relation to drugs, at a Center for Psychosocial Care for Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAPSad) and the other contexts in which they circulate, analyzed from their own perspective. The study included eight adolescents 12 to 18 years of age enrolled in the CAPSad in a medium-sized city in the interior of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Data collection used an identification form for the adolescents and family network and a semi-structured interview. Data analysis used the collective subject discourse (CSD) technique. The results show that adolescents experience a process of social exclusion and disengagement in various spheres of life, and highlights the CAPSad as an important space in their day-to-day life, although limited in its care for these youngsters. The study's contributed by giving a voice to these adolescents, a group frequently excluded from treatment and outreach services for drug users, as well as identifying and shedding light on the drugs and the specificities of their day-to-day lives, from their own perspective both inside and outside the clinic.