Looking at the real health issues

Damage you can't see

What was it?
In January 2011, Balance launched ‘Drinking causes damage you can’t see’. The campaign aimed to highlight the dangers of drinking above the recommended alcohol limits. It revealed the people most at risk of health problems are not alcoholics or binge drinkers, but those who drink consistently every day over a number of years.

We utilsed existing materials produced by the Government to ensure people in the North East were receiving important health messages.

The campaign also highlighted the wide range of conditions linked to drinking at or above these limits on a daily or almost daily basis, which include high blood pressure, stroke and cancer of the mouth, throat and breast.

This was an extremely important campaign as our research revealed that almost one in two men and a third of women in the region are drinking at or above the Government’s recommended limits on a daily or almost daily basis. The limits are 2-3 units a day (about two small glasses of wine) for a woman and 3-4 units (about two pints of regular strength beer or lager) for a man.

What we did
In addition to a hard-hitting media campaign, Balance teams visited towns and cities across the North East during February to provide advice and hand out information. North Easterners came face to face with a life sized x-ray of a human body and were shown the places where alcohol-related diseases such as strokes, heart attacks, dementia, as well as mouth, throat and liver cancer could strike.

Vital stats

• Almost two fifths of all North Easterners are putting themselves at greater risk of cancers, heart attack and stroke because they are drinking too much alcohol, too often.

• Men are three times more likely to have a stroke if they regularly drink more than two pints of strong lager a day.

• Women are twice as likely to get breast cancer if they regularly drink two large glasses of wine or more each day.

• Men and women who exceed these limits could be up to five times more likely to develop cancers of the mouth and throat.

What people said
Colin Shevills, Director of Balance

“Too many people are unaware of what the recommended limits are. For instance a third of North Easterners believe that it’s acceptable for a woman to drink two glasses of wine five nights a week, when in fact, over time this kind of consumption would place someone at a higher risk of a range of cancers, stroke or heart attack.

“These misperceptions show that we have a major job to do in terms of increasing public understanding of the recommended limits and the consequences of regularly exceeding them. We need to encourage people to live healthier, happier lives. A first step towards that is providing information and education so that people can make an informed choice on reducing their consumption."