Problematic alcohol consumption in teachers: analysis of social imaginaries in the series Merlí Sapere Aude and The Chair

Introduction: The harmful use of alcohol has negative effects both for the drinker and for society in
general. Educational institutions carry out preventive and harm reduction actions that are oriented
towards students and mainly in charge of teachers. However, very few investigations address the
consumption habits of these professionals and the consequences it has on their role. In this paper
we aim to analyze the social imaginaries that circulate in two contemporary series regarding the
problematic consumption of alcohol in teachers. Methodology: We carried out a qualitative content
analysis of the series Merlí Sapere Aude (Spain, 2019-2021) and The Chair (United States, 2021) in
order to explore, from a relational perspective, the different factors that affect the consumption
of alcohol of two characters with this problem. Results: The results reflect the representation of
various social and individual factors in the consumption of these characters, focusing especially
on their socio-family circumstances. The educational institutions in these series respond to their
teachers’ problematic use of alcohol by sanctioning them and removing them from their posts.
Discussion and conclusions: The imaginaries represented in these series reinforce beliefs that
deny that problematic alcohol consumption is a health problem and place the responsibility for
consumption solely on the individual. This highlights the need to encourage educational institutions
to also consider the teaching population as care recipients of actions to reduce harm and prevent
problematic consumption.