Are people in the North East aware that alcohol can cause cancer?
“"I was aware of liver problems and stuff but it is frightening"”
Ahead of us launching our new ‘Alcohol is Toxic’ campaign, we took to the streets of the North East to find out if people were aware of the link between alcohol and cancer.
We found surprise and shock around the fact that alcohol is a direct cause of at least seven types of cancer, including breast, bowel, mouth and throat cancer. Surveys have previously found only 1 in 3 people in the North East are aware that alcohol causes cancer.
Balance’s “Alcohol is Toxic” campaign, which is supported by Cancer Research UK and local authorities, warns alcohol is a direct cause of 7 types of cancer [i] – including bowel, breast, liver throat and mouth cancer.
Only 1 in 3 people in the North East are aware that alcohol causes cancer and yet nearly half (47%) of adults are drinking above the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of no more than 14 units a week – enough to significantly raise their risks [ii].
This video hears from people across the North East to find out just how much they knew about alcohol and its links to cancer. This is what they had to say:
References
[i] https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/alcohol-and-cancer
[ii] Survey by Balance the North East Alcohol Programme – Alcohol – A Perfect Storm” from a survey of 907 people, 2022
