Pre-drinking is a pretty common practice these days, particularly among students looking to save a couple of quid. The price of alcohol in bars and clubs has shot up in recent years, leading to more and more people opting for a few cheap drinks at home before heading out.
But councillors in one Belgian town decided they weren't a fan of the concept, and that the behaviour was causing issues in local pubs and bars such as vandalism, vomiting and fighting.
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To try and combat pre-drinking, Balen council decided to start giving away free beer to young clubbers who passed a breathalyser test on the door. Known as "sobercoin", the scheme was aims to stop teenagers from loading up on booze at home ahead of a night out.
To get a coin, a partygoers who arrive at the council organised parties and must not exceed the legal limit at the door. Once they enter they are given a token for three complimentary drinks by the venue.
The scheme has only been trialled at four events this year, however local councillors have already deemed it a success with numbers of disruption lowering. Speaking about the scheme and it's intentions, Sobercoin spokesman Jonas Willems told the BBC, "It's just to get the conversation started that people can acknowledge that there is a problem and maybe we are the generation to try to change that."
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