Addiction Counselling · Brighton

Addiction Counselling in Brighton

Addiction Counselling for Brighton and the surrounding area, in person or online. Brighton is the buzzing heart of the city, from the Lanes and North Laine to the seafront, the Palace Pier and the Royal Pavilion. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.

In person in HoveOnline tooFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, BACP-registered counsellor near Brighton at his Hove room, introducing his approach to addiction counselling
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Brighton

Addiction Counselling for Brighton, at a glance

Known for
The Lanes, North Laine, the Royal Pavilion and Preston Park
Area
Brighton & Hove, East/West Sussex
Getting to the Hove room
The counselling room is a short ride west from central Brighton along the seafront or Western Road, roughly ten to fifteen minutes by bus, taxi or car, and walkable from Brighton Station.
Local NHS / support route
NHS drug & alcohol service finder (see below)
Format
In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.

Life in Brighton

Why people in Brighton get in touch

Brighton keeps late hours. The bars around the Lanes and North Laine stay busy long after the last train home, and a good deal of the work here, in hospitality and the creative trades, is paid in shifts that finish when everyone else is asleep. That rhythm makes a habit easy to keep out of sight. A nightly drink, a bet placed on a phone between jobs, something shared in a kitchen at four in the morning: none of it looks out of place against this backdrop. It tends to show only when you notice you cannot stop at one, or that the money has gone again. A sociable city can leave you convinced that yours is the only private problem in it.

the Royal PavilionBrighton Palace PierJubilee LibraryBrighton Dome

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Brighton

North LaineThe LanesSeven DialsHanoverRound HillLondon RoadPreston CircusElm Grove

Wherever you are in Brighton, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.

The local picture

The local picture in Brighton

Official figures for Brighton, for context rather than as a description of you.

Reviewed June 2026.

What would we do together in addiction counselling?

Addiction counselling here treats the pain beneath the habit, not just the symptom, alcohol, drugs, gambling, food or behavioural, so recovery is something you grow into rather than force.

The approach does not change with the postcode, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods and what each session covers, on addiction counselling in detail, alongside how I work and how to check my registration.

Where do we meet, and what happens?

Sessions take place in a private, comfortable room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove, held to the strict BACP confidentiality you would expect. We begin with a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, and the same sessions are available by secure video if travelling is difficult or you would simply prefer it.

Sessions are held in a quiet room on Western Road in central Hove, and from the middle of Brighton that is a short trip west: roughly ten to fifteen minutes by bus, taxi or car along the seafront, or a walk if you would rather arrive having cleared your head. Trains from Brighton take only a few minutes. When coming in feels like too much in the early weeks, the same hour runs online by secure video, and you can move between the two.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

What can addiction counselling in Brighton help with?

Alcohol

For when drinking has stopped feeling like a choice.

Drugs and substances

Compassionate, confidential help with substance use.

Gambling

Breaking the cycle of compulsive gambling, guilt and debt.

Food and behavioural

Support for food and process addictions.

Affected by a loved one

Help for those living alongside someone's addiction.

The pain underneath

We treat the cause, not just the symptom.

Addiction Counselling in Brighton

Why people in Brighton come for addiction counselling

People arrive here with very different habits in mind. For some it is alcohol; for others cocaine at the weekend, gambling apps that never close, or a compulsion around spending, gaming or porn that has never had a name put to it. The common thread is not the substance but the pull. Something that began as relief has become the thing your day is organised around. So the work starts with what the habit does for you, what it settles or postpones, because until that is understood, stopping tends to feel like pure loss. Deaths from drug misuse across the city ran at 11.1 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, against an England average of 5.8, which puts this well inside ordinary local life rather than outside it. The NHS 'find a service' directory covers structured drug and alcohol treatment, and Mind in Brighton and Hove offers wider support alongside private counselling.

A free, unhurried first step

Not sure if it is right for you? A free fifteen-minute call is a no-obligation way to talk it through.

Book a free 15-minute call

Drug, alcohol & addiction support in Brighton

My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. You can find your nearest free NHS-funded drug and alcohol service via the NHS “find a service” directory (search “Brighton”).

For confidential information and advice, FRANK (on 0300 123 6600) and Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 are free, and Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery run peer-support meetings you can find online.

Other local and national support verified for this area includes:

If you need urgent help now

This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.

If you drink heavily or use drugs daily, do not stop suddenly on your own. Withdrawal can cause seizures and can be dangerous. Speak to your GP or a local drug and alcohol service first, and they can arrange a safe, medically supported withdrawal. Counselling works alongside that, not instead of it.

Brighton questions

Addiction Counselling in Brighton: common questions

Where do Brighton sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?

In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. The counselling room is a short ride west from central Brighton along the seafront or Western Road, roughly ten to fifteen minutes by bus, taxi or car, and walkable from Brighton Station. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Brighton or blend the two.

I work in hospitality in Brighton and my hours change every week. Could sessions work around a rota like that?

Yes. Sessions are booked to suit a rota rather than a fixed weekly slot, and daytime appointments often suit people whose evenings belong to work. If a shift moves, the hour can move with it. Some weeks in the Hove room, some weeks online, whatever keeps the work going.

Does addiction counselling here cover gambling, not just drink and drugs?

It does. Betting apps, gaming, spending, food and porn all bring people in, and the underlying pattern is much the same as with a substance. Nothing about the approach changes because the habit has no chemical in it. You will not be asked to rank your problem against anyone else's.

What do sessions cost, and can I get a feel for it before I commit?

There is a free 15-minute consultation first, by phone or video, so you can ask questions without booking anything. After that a session is £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min, or £120 / 120 min. Payment is per session, so nothing is signed up for in advance.

How does this sit with the NHS route for addiction in Brighton?

They work perfectly well side by side. The NHS 'find a service' directory will point you to local structured drug and alcohol treatment, including medical support that counselling cannot provide. Private sessions can start straight away and carry on while you wait for, or work through, that route.

Brighton feels small. Will I run into someone I know?

It is a fair worry in a city where faces are recognised quickly. The Hove room is a short way from the centre, on a busy road with nothing on the door to say why you are there. Appointment times are spaced so you are unlikely to pass another client.

Is it easy to reach your Hove room from central Brighton?

Yes. The room on Western Road is about ten to fifteen minutes from the Lanes and Brighton Station by bus, taxi or car along the seafront, and sessions are also available by secure video if that suits you better.

How do I book addiction counselling and get to your Hove room from Brighton?

Start by booking a free fifteen-minute consultation through my contact page or by calling 07914 681995. The room is at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road; the 1, 6 and 7 buses run there, or the train from Brighton Station reaches Hove in a few minutes.

What do addiction counselling sessions cost, and is there free NHS help in Brighton?

Sessions are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours, with a free fifteen-minute call first. For free NHS-commissioned help, Brighton and Hove has Pavilions, the local drug and alcohol service run by Change Grow Live, which you can self-refer to.

Can I have addiction counselling in the evening or online from Brighton?

Yes. Many Brighton clients come into the Hove room in person, but with the city so close some prefer secure video from a flat near the seafront. Evening slots are available, and you can mix in-person and online week to week to fit hospitality or shift work.

Addiction Counselling in Brighton, whenever you are ready

A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start, no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.

Also available nearby: Hove, Kemp Town, Preston Park, Patcham. See all areas I cover.

If addiction counselling is not quite what you are looking for, substance use counselling, counselling for drinking problems and trauma counselling may fit better in Brighton.

You may also find it useful to read about the four Rs framework and illness or indulgence?.

Prefer to meet remotely? The same addiction counselling is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.