A NORTHUMBERLAND mum-of-four who nearly lost her life to alcohol is calling on the Government to do more to reduce its promotion.

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

At her lowest point, Karen tried to take her own life and nearly died.

It was a major turning point for her and she knew that she had to break the cycle.

The 54-year-old spent 15 years alcohol-free, but on a low day, she saw an alcohol advert for pink gin and it was one of the triggers which caused her to relapse.

Luckily, Karen came through and now supports others in recovery and campaigns for change.

This week, a Scottish consultation looking at measures the country's government could possibly take to restrict alcohol marketing to protect children and people overcoming alcohol addictions drew to a close.

Balance, the North East alcohol programme working to reduce alcohol harm, has welcomed the consultation in Scotland and urged the Government in England to follow suit, a call which Karen is backing.

"Alcohol marketing is insidious, it creeps up on you, making you feel like you’re not worthy and not good enough," she said. "Millions of people are battling alcohol addiction and seeing adverts every night.

"If you’re having a bad day or a bad moment then that could be enough for a relapse you never recover from.

"The adverts for alcohol never show the realities of what alcohol can do. The reality is a world away from the glamorous picture it paints. It’s vomiting the next day, life-changing illnesses, self-harming behaviours, robbing people of relationships.

"Alcohol robbed me of everything."

Sue Taylor, head of alcohol policy at Fresh and Balance, said: "As Karen has bravely shared, alcohol marketing can be a trigger for relapse for people in recovery. It also profoundly influences children, encouraging them to drink earlier and to consume more.

"We welcome the approach taken by the Scottish Government to look at measures to restrict alcohol marketing. Unfortunately, we suffer with many of the same issues over the border in the North East of England, so it’s vital that the UK Government takes a similar approach.

"We know that there isn’t a single magic bullet to reduce alcohol harm, but greater regulation of alcohol marketing would be a step in the right direction."

The Courant has contacted the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for comment.​