In the Belgian town of Balen, the municipality, the youth council and the catering industry have come together to give young adults free alcohol in the city. The premise is that they show up sober. The aim of the “Sobercoin” campaign is to make young people aware of their own alcohol consumption. – We want young people to have a sensible and healthy relationship with alcohol. We are therefore starting this campaign against vorspiel, the municipality writes on its homepage. They had noticed that more and more young people turned up very drunk when they were out and about. – There were several basketball attacks. People spat everywhere, says spokesperson for the campaign Jonas Willems to the BBC. He says that it was both a problem inside parties and out on the streets. “Don’t end the party before he has started” is the slogan of the campaign in Balen. Photo: Gemeente Balen/Sobercoin Three free drinks That’s why they came up with the idea of an “edrum coin”. So far, they have distributed these coins at four different youth events. In Belgium, the age limit for buying beer and wine is 16. For spirits it is 18 years. Before the guests enter, they can take a blood alcohol test. If the result is below the alcohol limit, they get a coin. This gives you three free drinks inside the party. The municipal board has tried to work actively with the alcohol policy in the city since 2016. This is one of the last measures they are trying out. A little skeptical When asked if the young people think it’s a good idea, many are positive. – It is a good principle, says one of the young people to the BBC. – For me, it is an advantage. There are free drinks, so I like it, says another. A third is more skeptical. – I do not know. I don’t think that is the ideal way to fix the problem. The municipality has also produced a campaign brochure, from which this picture is taken. Photo: Campaign brochure / Gemeent Balen Start the conversation The organizers behind Sobercoin do not aim to get people to stop drinking. – It is only to get the conversation started, so that people can recognize that there is a problem, says Willems. According to him, there have been fewer basket attacks and other disturbances after the measure. – It could be a case, but I still think it is a bit of the effect of our sobercoin.
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