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Addiction Counselling · Lewes
Addiction Counselling in Lewes
Addiction Counselling for Lewes and the surrounding area, in person or online. Lewes, the historic county town of East Sussex, is famous for its castle, steep twittens, Harveys Brewery and Bonfire night. 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 Lewes
Addiction Counselling for Lewes, at a glance
- Known for
- Lewes Castle, the Harveys Brewery and the South Downs Way
- Area
- Lewes & Mid Sussex, East/West Sussex
- Getting to the Hove room
- From Lewes the office is around twenty minutes by car on the A27, or a short direct train to Brighton and on to Hove.
- Local NHS / support route
- East Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support
- Format
- In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.
Life in Lewes
What brings people in Lewes to counselling?
Lewes is a town where people are known. You are recognised on School Hill, your car is recognised in Southover, and the same faces appear at the same events year after year. That belonging is much of what makes the place good to live in, and it is also why a habit here is guarded so carefully. Whatever has got out of hand, whether it is drinking, a betting account, spending or something you have never named to anyone, the prospect of it becoming local knowledge can feel worse than the habit itself. So it stays behind the front door, on a steep street where nobody can see in, and the gap between how you are seen and how the evening actually goes gets wider every month.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Lewes
Cliffe High StreetSchool HillKeere StreetSouthoverThe WallandsLandportNevillSt Anne's
Wherever you are in Lewes, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Lewes
Official figures for Lewes, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 499.3 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 4.9 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 actually happens 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 method travels; only the geography changes. everything on addiction counselling explains it properly, how sessions run and what they cost answers the practical questions, and my credentials and registration shows how the practice is held to account.
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.
By car it is about twenty minutes on the A27, or you can take a direct train to Brighton and carry on to Hove, where the room is on Western Road. Nothing about the appointment happens in Lewes itself, which most people find is the main thing they want to know. If travelling is difficult in a given week, the same session runs online by secure video.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
Which difficulties does addiction counselling address?
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 Lewes
Why people in Lewes come for addiction counselling
Addiction counselling covers more than the obvious. Alcohol brings a lot of people, but so do gambling apps, gaming, compulsive spending and porn, and none of these is treated as a lesser version of the others. What they share is the way something useful becomes something necessary, until the shape of your week is quietly built around keeping it available. The work begins by understanding that, not by demanding an immediate end to it. Recorded deaths from drug misuse across the county were 4.9 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, below the England average of 5.8 per 100,000. East Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support is the route into free structured treatment, provided here by STAR, the East Sussex Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, and the Sussex Mental Healthline answers through the night.
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 Lewes
My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Lewes, free local drug and alcohol support is available through East 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.
Lewes questions
Addiction Counselling in Lewes: common questions
Where do Lewes sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?
In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Lewes the office is around twenty minutes by car on the A27, or a short direct train to Brighton and on to Hove. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Lewes or blend the two.
Everybody knows everybody in Lewes. How do I keep this to myself?
By coming to Hove, which is roughly twenty minutes away and entirely separate from your daily life here. There is no local waiting room and no shared reception. What is discussed remains confidential, subject only to the narrow limits explained at the first appointment.
Are behavioural habits like betting really addiction?
They behave like it in every way that matters, and they are worked with in the same manner. Gambling in particular tends to run further before anyone notices, because there is nothing physical to spot, only money quietly leaving. Nothing about the approach changes.
What does East Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support actually offer?
It is the way into STAR, the free county service for drug and alcohol treatment, which includes assessment and medical support. Private counselling is separate and can start straight away. Using one has no effect whatsoever on your access to the other.
What do you charge?
The first 15-minute consultation is free, so you can ask questions before deciding anything. Sessions after that are £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min or £120 / 120 min. You pay per appointment, and there is nothing to sign up to in advance.
I am not sure this counts as an addiction. Should I wait until it is worse?
Waiting for it to qualify is rarely a good plan. There is no threshold to reach and no competition for seriousness, and habits are considerably easier to shift before more of your life has been arranged around them. Uncertainty is a fine reason to talk.
How do I reach the room from Lewes?
It is around twenty minutes by car on the A27, or a short direct train to Brighton and on to Hove. Online sessions are available if you would rather not travel.
How do I reach your Hove room from Lewes for addiction counselling?
By car the A27 towards Brighton and Hove takes about twenty minutes, or a fast, frequent direct train from Lewes to Brighton, then a couple of stops to Hove and a short walk to Western Road. Book a free fifteen-minute consultation first on 07914 681995 or online.
What are the fees, and is there free addiction help in Lewes?
Sessions are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours, with a free first call. Lewes is in East Sussex, so for free help you can self-refer to Change Grow Live East Sussex, the drug and alcohol service, without a GP.
Can addiction counselling be online or in the evening from Lewes?
Yes. The A27 or a direct train to Hove is quick, with evening slots available, but secure video is there for weeks when getting over the Downs is inconvenient. In a close, engaged town where faces are known, many Lewes clients value that privacy.
Addiction Counselling in Lewes, 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: Newhaven, Ditchling, Brighton. See all areas I cover.
Also available in Lewes: substance use counselling, counselling for drinking problems and trauma counselling.
Some further reading, if that helps before getting in touch: the four-stage cycle of addiction and the four Rs framework.
Prefer to meet remotely? The same addiction counselling is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.