Renunțarea la alcool: Belgia lansează campania anuală fără alcool pe 1 februarie   

While some countries are saying goodbye to Dry January, Belgium launches its own sobriety challenge Tournée Minérale on 1 February.The 9th edition of the awareness-raising drive invites citizens to take a break from alcohol during the shortest month of the year. Some 1.5m Belgians are expected to participate.First initiated by the Cancer Foundation in 2016, the campaign aims to help people cut their alcohol intake. The focus this year is on the ‘treatment gap’ between patients suffering from alcohol-related disorders and those receiving appropriate care.It estimates that 20 to 25% of adult patients who consult their GP are suffering from alcohol misuse, yet only 8% receive help with their consumption.That’s why the nonprofit Univers santé running the annual health initiative is targetting frontline doctors. “Alcohol misuse exposes people to more than 200 diseases, not to mention the social damage – sexual and family violence, precariousness, etc,” explains its director and alcohologist Martin de Duve.Tournée Minérale conducted street interviews in several French-speaking cities about the alcohol-free month. Their spontaneous and sometimes funny reactions are being broadcast from the end of January on its website and social media channels. “They highlight the diversity of points of view and embody the Belgian spirit,” it says.An incentive competition has been running since16 January giving participants the opportunity to win one of 500 reusable water bottles. In addition to practical advice, the website provides 0% alcohol recipes to also incite people to reduce their alcohol intake.Facts & figures€4.2 to €6 billion per year: The cost of alcohol misuse in Belgium
Sleep disorders increase vulnerability to addiction, while alcohol reduces quality of sleep
Young adults aged 20 to 39 are particularly affected: In 2019, this age group recorded the highest share (13%) of deaths linked to alcohol consumption
Even at low levels, consumption of 1 to 1.5 units of alcohol per day is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer
Alcohol is the second leading cause of preventable death, just behind tobacco, with nearly 10,000 deaths per year in Belgium, or 10% of total mortality
In Flanders, the alcohol-free campaign is run by VAD /de Druglijn.Belgian zero-alcohol drinksMore brands and breweries are turning to 0.0%, reports RTBF, which has selected some local products currently on the zero- or low-alcohol market.The L’Annexe brewery in Saint-Gilles makes not only beer, but also fermented lemonades (pictured), flavoured with elderflower, lemon, blueberry, ginger and quince. “These are drinks with character,” says co-founder Grégoire Berthon. “They are adult drinks that provide refreshment but are also very pleasant to drink.”Another brewer specialised in fermentation is the start-up Smile Kombucha In Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. It produces organic craft Kombucha teas using a culture of bacteria and yeast called a scoby. The ant