[The discourse on alcohol in the Brazilian Journal of Nursing: 1932-2007].

This was a literature review study which examined the theme of alcohol in the papers of the Brazilian Journal of Nursing, from 1932 to 2007. A manual search was performed using the keywords: alcohol, alcoholism, drugs and psychoactive substances. The discourse on alcohol, used by the authors, was analyzed according to the methodological proposals of Bardin. Eight papers were found that showed three categories: biopsychosocial aspects, conceptions of alcohol and alcoholism, and image of the alcoholic. The study shows how the discourse on alcohol and alcoholism has progressed from common sense to scientific status, corresponding to the historical moment of its production.