There's a whiff of prohibition in the air in Finland these days: a new mock ration card that helps drinkers keep track of their consumption is the state's latest weapon to combat high alcoholism rates.
Alcohol is the leading cause of death in Finland, a sobering fact that the Viinakortti card is aimed at rectifying.
"In the past, the authorities were in charge of controlling your consumption. Today, you are," read posters hanging in the 330 Alko liquor stores belonging to the state monopoly.
Contrary to prohibition days, however, the card is strictly optional and purchases will not be limited, the way they were from 1943, when supplies were short due to the war, until 1970.
Consumers will also be able to remain anonymous and won't have to face humiliating interrogations by "controllers," the much-despised officials who terrorized drinkers in the 1950s when more than 1 million Finns held ration cards.
The card is a small eight-page booklet available at Alko's shops, featuring a monthly calendar in which consumers can write down their purchases to have a good overview of their habits.
It also contains information on how much alcohol you can drink before it poses a health problem: 24 glasses of wine or 24 beers per week for men, 16 glasses of wine or 16 beers for women.
The Viinakortti is part of an Alko campaign that began last month and concludes on Nov. 14.
"The idea is to help people control themselves by tracking their consumption for a month. We maintain that buying alcohol is the individual's responsibility," Alko spokeswoman Laura Stenbaeck said.
Alcohol abuse has since 2005 been the leading cause of death among Finns aged 15 to 64. The number of deaths from cirrhosis of the liver has increased 100-fold since the 1960s.
Consumption has risen from the equivalent of 2.6 liters of pure alcohol per person per year in 1967 to 11 liters last year, according to the Finnish temperance league.
Laura, 24, has just bought a bottle of Koskenkorva, Finland's national vodka drink, at an Alko store in central Helsinki.
"I don't have a Viinakortti," she says, adding that she thinks it is okay to cut loose once in a while.
"You don't have to act properly all the time. And I think I have enough control over my drinking," she says.
Only a handful of Alko customers questioned by AFP say they have the card, but not a single one of them has used it.
"I don't have one, but it's a good idea. A lot of people would need one," says 60-year-old Satu as he picks up his liquor bottle from the checkout line.
The next customer disagrees.
"We don't need it. It's a public relations gimmick," she charges.
Tuukka, the Alko checkout cashier, has his doubts as well.
"I'm sceptical also. It's almost ridiculous," he said.
But another Alko cashier, Francis McCarron, thinks the card is a good idea.
"People don't use it really, but I noticed they have it in their wallet. Those who do use it are very surprised to see how much they drink," he says.
He hasn't used his card yet.
"I'm too scared to find out how much I drink," he said.
Ingvald Back of the temperance league adds his voice to the criticism, judging that the mock card is nothing more than a useless gimmick.
"It will have no effect and I'm against the principle. You have to raise alcohol prices and reduce accessibility," he says.
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