THINK "party" in the North East and you think Newcastle Quayside - famous worldwide for its bright lights, bars and boozing.

It would seem an unlikely place to home a centre for people trying to overcome drink and drug.

But that is exactly where the Newcastle Gateshead Recovery Centre has been operating since Spring.

And the fact it is surrounded by pubs is not an unfortunate coincidence.

Situated where the Swing Bridge meets Newcastle Quayside, the Recovery centre is run by the Cyrenians - an independent charity which helps people, including those hooked on drink and drugs.

Eileen Ronan, assistant director of the Cyrenians, said: "The feedback we have from people in recovery is that alcohol is everywhere - in pubs, in bars, in supermarkets. Part of recovery is learning to deal with that."

Cyrenians executive director Ollie Batchelor said the aim was to encourage people to be able to cope and that included places where there were temptations.

"A lot of people have said it's brilliant that we have the recovery centre in the middle of so many bars," he said.

"We're trying to encourage people to live a normal life, not become reclusive and avoid situations where they may come across alcohol. A centre like this can help draw them out."

The centre offers help to people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, but doesn't give clinical treatment - instead, it offer emotional support.

Eileen said: "What we want to offer is a safe environment to go through their journey. We want to build a network that people can go to when they do need help, so that they can foster relationships outside of the centre too. We offer something different to the other aspects of treatment."

"With places like doctors and detox centres, there is a bit of a divide between the people running the centre and those needing help."

But many of those working at the Cyrenians recovery centre had been through addiction and recovery themselves, said Eileen.

"It means that they can relate to the situations people find themselves in. We have equality."

Ollie said: "It is a lot easier to recover with people who are on the same path as you and offer real support, especially in the first two or three years of abstinence."

"We want the centre to be like a magnet for those who think that there is no hope."

Justin Collier, 40, works at the centre and is recovering.

He said: "In this job you get to see people change and people getting well."

"I've seen people die from addiction problems, people in hospital with liver failure, people who are just battered by life. We hear all the time that people did not realise that there are other people like them, but they come here and they're given hope."

The centre was set up after a research trip by Eileen and Ollie to the USA in September last year, visiting the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery.

Ollie said: "When we visited the Connecticut centre it felt like an amazing place, and something that was lacking in this country."

"We spent our whole journey back planning how we could bring something like it to the UK."

"It wasn't just a place for people with problems to hang out - it was focused and structured, trying to help people get their lives back."

The Newcastle Gateshead Recovery Centre is now twinned with Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery and they model themselves on that operation.

Established in 1998, the US recovery centre describes its mission as providing recovery support services - and putting a positive face on recovery.

That idea is driving the Quayside centre too and the fact many of those who work there are going through later stages of recovery helps.

Ollie said: "The staff can be role models for those using the centre, so that people know they can get well."

"There used to be a preconception that you could never get well from recovery, but now we can show that this is not the case."

"The centre is not about sophisticated treatment - it is about supporting each other."

"Other sides of treatment help get over the health problems associated with addiction, but do not look at the emotional and social side that people have to deal with."

The centre provides a place for people to go where they can talk about their problems, benefiting from one-to-one and group sessions.

It aims to move people on through their journey of recovery so that they eventually no longer need that support.

The idea of community is very strong in the centre, and they encourage people to interact socially.

The centre also runs a telephone service, where people in recovery are put on a list, and for three months they receive a call every week, checking they are ok and letting them know about events being run by the centre that they may want to participate in.

Ollie said: "It's about reaching out to people, especially those who have not made changes in their lives. It's for people who have left treatment, and looks to encourage interaction and links back to people."

The weekly calls don't only help those who receive them, but those who make them - the calls are made by people who are in recovery, who also benefit.

The recovery centre also offers one-to-one and group meetings that look at how to deal in social situations.

Justin said: "A lot of it is about learning how to act in social situations again, because it is not something that you are used to."

"You learn how to talk normally and not shout over people."

"The staff give a lot of themselves too, through sharing their experiences and offering support to the others."

Part of this involves giving people responsibilities.

Eileen said: "The essence of the community is that people feel that they belong as part of the centre."

"They are made to feel welcome, given things to do and given expectations."

Justin said: "We had a Halloween party a few weeks ago and people came with members of their families - people can forget that addiction has an effect on others as well as the individual."

"Everything was organised with people taking responsibility for different things - there's a great sense of community here, with people wanting to help each other and do things for each other. Some people expect them not to behave properly, because they're in recovery, but we had a six-a-side football tournament and the players in recovery were the best behaved there."

These events offer the chance to socialise in an environment they know is free from the temptation of alcohol or drugs.

There have been organised recovery walks, as well as other activities.

Ollie said: "It's important to us to create a network of people, because we don't want people to use the centre forever."

"In Newcastle it used to be that the average person would spend up to six years in treatment, and we want that to be less."

"Sometimes when people come out of treatment and put onto prescribed medication, that just replaces the previous addiction for them and when they come out of that phase their life seems to have something missing again."

"We want to give them the support they need to get through that, so that the centre can act like a springboard for their recovery, to stop them slipping back."

"And, when they leave the centre, we want them to have made contact with similar people to them so that they can keep in touch."

The sense of a bond and of community is something that is very strong at the centre, and is what they are looking to foster.

They have found those going through recovery are looking for a way to give something back and given them a way to do so.

The Newcastle Gateshead Recovery Centre aims to offer something different to other sorts of treatment - it wants to show people that there is hope for them and they can go through recovery and come out the other side.