Sheridan: It was a big shock to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Mum Sheridan Dixon, 62, from Jarrow, was diagnosed with breast cancer last August. She had surgery in September at the QE Hospital Gateshead and finished further radiotherapy treatment in January this year.

She said: “It was a big shock to be diagnosed with breast cancer. We know now that cancer will now affect 1 in 2 people in their lives but you don’t expect it to be you. It was a wake-up call.

“After my diagnosis, I started reading about the connections between alcohol and breast cancer, which made me realize I needed to do everything possible including cutting down on alcohol to stay fit and healthy to prevent the cancer from coming back. I already knew having a good diet and maintaining a healthy weight were important as well.

“I was shocked when I realized that any doctor would have considered me to have been a binge drinker. I could easily go without alcohol during the week, but when meeting friends, I’d sometimes drink a bottle of wine, over a meal or going from pub to pub.

“Your alcohol units can add up quickly without realizing, especially when a large glass of wine can contain two or three units. There are plenty of alternatives—over Christmas, for example, I swapped my regular drinks for alcohol-free versions. It’s a reminder that you don’t have to drink when you go out. I have grown-up children, and it’s also clear that the binge-drinking culture is shifting.

“My GP advised me to lose weight seven years ago, and I ended up losing two stone. We all know the importance of keeping cholesterol down, but post-menopause, cutting down on alcohol also becomes important. The more you drink, the more it can affect cholesterol levels, and I realized that reducing alcohol is just part of taking care of your health as you age.

For me, it was a wake-up call—it’s that stage in life when you start evaluating your entire lifestyle and self-care.

“Before, I never really thought much about the cancer risk but it’s proven that cutting down on alcohol can reduce the risk of breast cancer and, for me, lower the chances of it coming back.

“For my health, I knew it had to change after what I went through, and I’m committed to it now.”

Caroline Tweedie, Lead Practitioner for Living with Cancer for South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust says: “I think many people are surprised to know that alcohol causes cancer and particularly breast cancer.

“There are some factors that increase your risk of getting breast cancer that you can’t do anything about, such as genetics and age, but there are some lifestyle risks that we can control and two of the main ones are alcohol and obesity.

“For people who have been diagnosed with cancer or are in remission, limiting what you drink may also help prevent the cancer returning and help you to keep a healthy weight.

“I think if more women knew about breast cancer risk, we would support one another to drink that bit less and say it’s alright if you don’t want to have another drink.”