Turkish Public Alcohol Policy Watch

The Turkish Public Alcohol Policy Watch is a project established in December 2020 under the Freedom Research Association to highlight the lifestyle intervention nature of alcohol policies in Türkiye. Founded by İsrafil Özkan, a co-founder of ICI, and coordinated by Çağın Tan Eroğlu, this project aims to raise awareness about the illicit alcohol phenomenon in Türkiye and the unintended consequences of high taxes. The project gained significant popularity, especially in 2021, following the alcohol sales bans imposed as part of pandemic measures, reaching millions of people. A campaign launched on Change.org gathered over 50,000 signatures, bringing the seriousness of the issue to the attention of politicians.

The platform gained international recognition by winning first place at the Think Tank Shark Tank competition organized by Atlas Network at the 2021 Europe Liberty Forum. The project aims to raise public awareness by emphasizing the impact of alcohol policies on individuals' lifestyles in Türkiye. Since August 2023, the project has been conducted under the Individual Choice Initiative (ICI) and has garnered more than 100 media appearances at both national and international levels, continuing to spark significant public debate on alcohol policies.
Platform, 2021 yılında Atlas Network’ün Europe Liberty Forum’da düzenlediği Think Tank Shark Tank yarışmasında birincilik ödülü kazanarak uluslararası alanda da tanınmıştır. Proje, Türkiye'deki alkol politikalarının bireylerin yaşam tarzlarına olan etkisini vurgulayarak kamuoyunda bu konuda bilinç oluşturmayı amaçlamaktadır. 2023 yılının Ağustos ayından itibaren Individual Choice Initiative (ICI) bünyesinde yürütülen proje, hem ulusal hem de uluslararası düzeyde 100’den fazla medya görünürlüğü elde etmiş ve alkol politikaları üzerine önemli bir toplumsal tartışma başlatmaya devam etmektedir.