Alcohol
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Addiction Counselling · Ditchling
Addiction Counselling in Ditchling
Addiction Counselling for Ditchling and the surrounding area, in person or online. Ditchling is a beautiful Downs village beneath Ditchling Beacon, long associated with artists and craftspeople. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Ditchling
Addiction Counselling for Ditchling, at a glance
- Known for
- Ditchling Beacon, the village pond and the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft
- Area
- Lewes & Mid Sussex, East/West Sussex
- Getting to the Hove room
- From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove office.
- Local NHS / support route
- West Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support
- Format
- In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.
Life in Ditchling
Why people in Ditchling get in touch
Ditchling is small enough that people notice things. Cars are recognised at the village crossroads, conversations start again where they left off outside the shop, and an unfamiliar routine is remarked upon kindly but remarked upon all the same. That closeness is one of the best things about living here and one of the hardest if something has got out of hand. A habit can be kept behind a front door on East End Lane for years without anyone suspecting, because the alternative is being known. Much of the work in the village is done alone too, in studios and at kitchen tables, which leaves long unstructured afternoons where a drink, a bet or a screen fills the silence very easily.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Ditchling
The village crossroadsSouth StreetWest StreetEast End LaneLewes RoadBeacon RoadCommon Lane
Wherever you are in Ditchling, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Ditchling
Official figures for Ditchling, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 440.2 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 504.1 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Admission episodes for alcohol-related conditions (narrow) (2023/24).
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 3.9 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, below the England average of 5.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Deaths from drug misuse (2022 - 24).
Reviewed June 2026.
What is addiction counselling, in practice?
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.
What actually happens in the room is the same everywhere, so it is written up once: see the full addiction counselling page for the methods, how sessions run and what they cost for fees and session lengths, and how to check my registration if you want to check who you would be working with.
What does a session actually involve?
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.
By car it is about twenty minutes into Brighton and on to Hove, whether you go over the hill past Ditchling Beacon or take the longer way round. The room sits on Western Road, with parking nearby rather than on the street outside. If a regular round trip is more than the week can carry, or the lanes are bad in winter, the same session can be held online by secure video.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What can addiction counselling in Ditchling help with?
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 Ditchling
Why people in Ditchling come for addiction counselling
The word addiction covers a lot of ground, and in a village it is often the quieter end of it that goes unnoticed for longest. Alcohol, yes, but also gambling that lives entirely on a phone, compulsive spending, gaming, or the sort of use that begins as a way of getting through a run of poor commissions. What links them is the loss of choice: the thing that once helped now decides how the evening goes. Sessions start by taking the habit seriously as a solution before treating it as a problem, which usually makes it possible to talk honestly for the first time. Hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions across the county were 440.2 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 504.1. For structured treatment, West Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support and its DAWN service are the local routes, and counselling can sit alongside either.
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 callDrug, alcohol & addiction support in Ditchling
My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Ditchling, free local drug and alcohol support is available through West Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support.
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.
Ditchling questions
Addiction Counselling in Ditchling: common questions
Where do Ditchling sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?
In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove office. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Ditchling or blend the two.
Everyone knows everyone here. How private is this really?
Sessions happen in Hove, twenty minutes away, so nothing about them takes place in the village. There is no local waiting area and no shared receptionist. What is said stays between us within the usual professional limits, which are set out plainly before any work begins.
Does this cover gambling and other habits, or only substances?
It covers both. Betting, gaming, spending and porn all follow much the same shape as a substance, and often hide better because there is nothing to find in the recycling. The pattern is what gets worked with, whatever form it happens to take.
What if I would rather not drive after a difficult session?
That is worth planning for, and some people deliberately book a slot they can take by video for exactly that reason. Others find the drive back over the hill a useful decompression. Either is fine, and you can change your mind week to week.
What are the fees and how do I start?
You can begin with a free 15-minute conversation by phone to see whether this feels right. Sessions are then £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min and £120 / 120 min, paid as you go. Nothing is booked in blocks and you can pause at any point.
Is there anything free available in this part of the county?
Yes. West Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support opens the door to DAWN, the West Sussex Drug and Alcohol Wellbeing Network, which is free and can offer structured treatment. Plenty of people use that and private counselling together rather than choosing.
Is it discreet, coming from a small village like Ditchling?
Yes. The room is in central Hove, well away from the village, with no shared waiting area, and online is an option too. Everything is confidential under the BACP framework.
How do I reach your Hove room from Ditchling for addiction counselling?
It is around twenty minutes by car over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to Hove, with the nearest stations at Hassocks or Burgess Hill for a direct train to Hove, and parking near the room. Book a free fifteen-minute consultation first on 07914 681995.
What are the fees, and is there free addiction help in Ditchling?
Sessions are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours, with a free first call. Ditchling is in West Sussex, so for free help you can self-refer to Change Grow Live West Sussex, the drug and alcohol service, without a GP.
Can addiction counselling be online or in the evening from Ditchling?
Yes. The drive over the Downs to Hove is manageable, with evening slots available, but secure video is there when travelling in is inconvenient. In a small village where people know one another well, many Ditchling clients value the privacy of working from home.
Addiction Counselling in Ditchling, 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: Hassocks, Lewes, Burgess Hill. See all areas I cover.
People who come for addiction counselling in Ditchling often also look at substance use counselling, counselling for drinking problems and trauma counselling.
You may also find it useful to read about illness or indulgence? and a cognitive-restructuring exercise for compulsive behaviour.
Prefer to meet remotely? The same addiction counselling is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.