Madrid moves from macrobotellón to microbotellón, even if fines increase by 40%

Let’s first move on to the overall figures: 17,882 sanctions in 2023 compared to 25,299, with an increase over all the months mentioned, which are seven. By age, we distinguish between adults (from 17,714 to 25,115), but also those under 18 years old (from 12 to 18 years old). And it is only those who are caught red-handed and punished by the Municipal policeaccording to official data. There are a lot more people drinking freely in the streets. Especially in spring: March, April and May. Even if summer invites you to go out a lot more, the vacation exodus and, above all, the absence of university students from other provinces make this parenthesis burst.

The Security and Emergency Zone, led by Vice Mayor Inma Sanz, launched a special plan through Madrid Salud, alongside the fines, which focuses on awareness and data collection on the ground. It is called PAD Night and came into force at the beginning of this summer which has just ended, explains the deputy general director of the Addictions department of Madrid Salud, Beatriz Mesías. The expert is convinced that “prevention happens where the young people are”.

In 2017, the municipality launched the Botellón Action program, but the aforementioned customs changed after the Covid shutdown: “Now they meet in small groups, in parks, at neighborhood parties or in living spaces nocturnal. Instead of large bottles we have smaller groups. When the cold approaches, they do it near recreational areas. The new normal has affected this way of meeting. Of course, the anti-bottle law and the sanctions also influenced this,” explains the deputy director, during an interview with ABC.

This first project transformed into the PAD Night, which was initially a pilot project and, after readjusting it, crystallized into a group of social mediators who, in an open environment, interact with small groups in different neighborhoods, during celebrations and nightlife venues; in the latter, thanks to the collaboration of the Noche Madrid business association.

It is managed by Controla Club, so that mediators enter the clubs not only to advise young people, but also to carry out training actions for reception and security staff, so that they can support risk preventionwhich are of two types. Direct, consisting of avoiding alcohol poisoning which carries indirect risks, such as driving under the influence of alcohol, unprotected sex, violent behavior and the consumption of other substances, for example.

The pilot months of PAD Night revealed an important fact: 77% of the population between 18 and 35 years old who frequent leisure spaces consume alcohol during their night outs. The program currently in force is aimed at those over 18 years old, up to approximately 30 years old. “Because with minors we have to work on zero consumption,” adds Beatriz Mesías.

From Pride to the Barceló Theater

We have already worked in well-known and popular places, such as Teatro Barceló, Samsara, La Cartuja, Oh My Club, Manama, Moondance, Irish Rover, Moby Dick, Areia Colonial Chillout, Sala Copérnico, Independance, TBC… But also during parties in the neighborhoods of Centro, Arganzuela, Ciudad Lineal, Villa de Vallecas, Chamartín, Moncloa-Aravaca, Vicálvaro and Chamberí; and in festivals like Orgullo Madrid, Kalorama, Reguetón Beach and these days it will be done in the festivities in the Pilar district. These months had an impact on 3,200 young people, who also participated in risk prospecting, surveys, collaboration on the project itself…

“There are three teams of mediators. They arrive, talk to them, ask them and participate with tablets, to be able to transmit messages in a more innovative way. The objective is to know their behavior and speak to them informally to present alternatives. Weekends are divided into different points. These are more dynamic consumption areas than before. They are no longer as localized as before. Another important element is that this plan exploits the snowball effect, so that these same young people become prevention agents. It’s a very egalitarian project between young people,” says the deputy general director of the Addictions department of Madrid Salud. More than 25% received satisfaction surveys and rated the experience very positively.

Apart from all this, the service of the Addiction Health Institute of Madrid is a reference in prevention for 427 educational centers and has carried out sessions in 372, contacting 1,431 teachers and interacting with 25,744 students, in addition to associations of mothers and fathers.