A Newcastle mum is calling for action against alcohol harm after growing up in a "hostile and dangerous environment".

Karen Slater, 56 and from Ponteland, was a victim of child abuse and domestic violence who sought solace in alcohol, drugs, and self-harm.

She said: "Alcohol advertising and the pressure to drink is insidious.

"There are millions of people trying to battle or escape alcohol and yet it is everywhere – every night on TV, on billboards, on sport, social media and stockpiles at the front of supermarkets.

"For someone having a bad day or a bad moment, that can trigger a relapse."

Karen added: "My reality and many others is the exact opposite from the allure of alcohol promotion. It’s about drink-fuelled isolation, domestic violence, child neglect and A&E being overrun by people under the influence of alcohol.”

Her call for action comes as Balance launches 'Reducing Alcohol Harm', a blueprint aiming to tackle the significant impact of alcohol on health, social care, crime, disorder, workplaces, and the economy.

This blueprint is backed by prominent North East leaders, including directors of public health, police and crime commissioners, and the NHS Integrated Care Board for the North East and North Cumbria.

It outlines key actions to alleviate the strain that alcohol places on the NHS and wider emergency services.

The blueprint presents stark statistics of the scale of alcohol-related harm and its impact on community wellbeing, while proposing steps for policymakers, health professionals, and community leaders.

New research reveals that 82 per cent of North East adults consider alcohol to be a problem both regionally and nationally.

Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh and Balance, said: "The impact of alcohol is being felt on our health, criminal justice system, on our economy and across society with harms at record levels – this is an avoidable crisis but it has been ignored for too long.

"This is a unified call to action from leaders and real people based in the North East for positive and evidence-based action to reduce alcohol harm.

"And for the sake of local families, we need more action to prevent vulnerable people from becoming ill and dying from alcohol and to reduce the burden on our NHS and emergency services."