A mother-of-three from Sunderland has spoken out about her alcohol addiction after being diagnosed with liver disease. Joanne Patterson, 41, was consuming up to three bottles of wine and lager daily at the height of her drinking.
Ms Patterson had her first alcoholic drink at age 13 and resumed drinking in her late teens. She said drinking became a habit and routine, often opening a bottle of wine before unpacking shopping bags. She did not think she was doing anything wrong as she had no symptoms initially.
In 2009, she began experiencing severe pains and her stomach swelled. After a period of no problems, her stomach, legs and ankles swelled again. She was admitted to hospital and has spent a total of 300 days in and out of hospital since.
Now diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, she takes up to 100 tablets a week to stay alive. 'My liver could fail at any time,' she said. 'I never thought I would get this much damage from drinking. But I have done and it's irreversible damage.'
Her story comes as figures from Balance, a North East alcohol and health campaign group, show hospital admissions for people in their early 30s in the region increased by 400% over eight years.
