ABOUT BALANCE

Balance is the North East of England’s Alcohol Office - and the first of its kind in the UK.

Balance seeks to inspire changes in the way we think about and drink alcohol in order to encourage people to enjoy a good time but reduce their consumption.

Ultimately the aim is to have happier, healthier people living in safer communities across the North East.

Funded by North East Primary Care Trusts, the Department of Health, the Home Office and local Police forces, Balance is the first regional Office of its kind to tackle alcohol-related issues in a cross-cutting way. Balance brings together a wide range of organisations involved in people’s alcohol use, including health services, police, voluntary agencies and local authorities.

Following commitments made in the regional public health strategy, ‘Better Health, Fairer Health’, Balance has been set up to inspire changes in the way we drink alcohol so that people in the region can still enjoy a good time while reducing their consumption: the end result – happier and healthier people living in safer communities.

To achieve that we will raise the profile of alcohol-related issues; coordinate good practice across the region and push for appropriate changes in laws, regulations and pricing policy based on existing evidence and new research. Key to achieving our goals will be close partnership working with the region’s PCTs, Police, local government and other agencies and stakeholders.

We will co-ordinate media campaigns to raise alcohol misuse in the minds of people in the North East, pointing out its influence on health, crime and disorder and the economy of the region. We will champion the good services and campaigns being delivered at a local level within the region, and raise the needs of the North East on a national level.

Our aim is not to judge or stop people enjoying a drink, but to help people find the right Balance. We're here to help make sure you are safe when you do drink and that you understand the dangers if you don't treat alcohol with respect. We're here to tell you all about alcohol so that you can get the true measure of it.