A CAMPAIGN has been launched in the region to warn people of the link between drinking and cancer.

Balance, also known as the North East Alcohol Office, has launched the campaign after a survey found that 90 per cent of people in the region who regularly drink above the recommended limits believe they are light or moderate drinkers. That amounts to about one million North-Easterners.

Balance's survey also revealed that almost two in five of the region’s adults, around 813,000 people, are regularly drinking more than the recommended daily limits.

The campaign falls in line with national Alcohol Awareness Week from Monday, November 16 to Sunday, November 22 and is being backed by Stockton Borough Council.

The local authority will be holding information stalls across the borough where people will have the opportunity to sample alcohol-free ‘mocktail’ alternatives and find out more about the impact of alcohol on their health. The stalls will be held at various times in Alcohol Awareness week at the University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton Central Library and Thornaby Central Library.

It has been established that there is a clear link between drinking and seven cancers: mouth, pharyngeal (upper throat), oesophageal (food pipe), laryngeal (voice box), bowel cancer, breast and liver.

Cllr Jim Beall, Stockton council’s cabinet member for health and adult services, said: “While many people do drink responsibly, the campaign from Balance and the stalls we are holding across the borough raise awareness of the long-term health risks associated with alcohol.”