Addiction Counselling · Patcham

Addiction Counselling in Patcham

Addiction Counselling for Patcham and the surrounding area, in person or online. Patcham is a village-rooted suburb in the north of Brighton, close to the A23 and the edge of the Downs. 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 Patcham at his Hove room, introducing his approach to addiction counselling
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Patcham

Addiction Counselling for Patcham, at a glance

Known for
All Saints Church, Patcham Place and Ladies Mile
Area
Brighton & Hove, East/West Sussex
Getting to the Hove room
From Patcham it is roughly fifteen minutes down the A23 and London Road into the city, then west to the Hove office.
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 Patcham

What is going on for people in Patcham?

Patcham can feel a long way from the seafront. Old Patcham still works like a village, with All Saints Church and the flint walls of Patcham Place at its heart and the dovecote tucked in behind. Above that the avenues climb, and on Carden Avenue or Mackie Avenue or Vale Avenue people have lived a long time and know each other's cars. That settledness is worth something. It also makes a private trouble heavier to carry. A betting app, a habit that has outgrown the reason it started, an evening routine nobody else has clocked yet, all of it stays behind the front door, because the alternative is being seen. Then the morning comes and you drive down towards the A23 and say nothing about any of it.

All Saints ChurchPatcham PlaceLadies Mile Nature Reservethe Patcham dovecote

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Patcham

Old PatchamLadies MileCarden AvenueOld London RoadVale AvenueMackie AvenueBraypool

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

The local picture

The local picture in Patcham

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

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.

The method travels; only the geography changes. the full addiction counselling page explains it properly, how I work answers the practical questions, and professional standards and registration shows how the practice is held to account.

How do sessions work, in person or online?

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.

It is roughly fifteen minutes from here down the A23 and Old London Road into the city, then west to the Hove office, where sessions happen in a private room and there is parking close by. Plenty of people like the appointment sitting outside their own streets, and the drive back up the hill gives the hour somewhere to settle. When the trip is more than a particular week can take, exactly the same session runs online by secure video.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

Which difficulties does addiction counselling address?

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 Patcham

Why people in Patcham come for addiction counselling

This service is the broad one. It takes in drink and drugs, but it also takes in gambling, gaming, shopping, phones and pornography, which is often what people are actually here about and rarely what they say first. The shape underneath is similar whatever the substance or the screen. Something works, briefly, at holding off a feeling. Then it needs doing more often, and the cost creeps outwards into money and sleep and the honesty you have with the people at home. We look at that loop rather than at your character. When it started, what it stands in front of, and what would need to be different for it to loosen. Nobody is told off here; shame is doing enough already. Admissions for alcohol-related conditions in Brighton and Hove ran at 413.5 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 504.1. The NHS find a service directory lists drug and alcohol services near you, with Mind in Brighton and Hove alongside.

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 Patcham

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 “Patcham”).

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.

Patcham questions

Addiction Counselling in Patcham: common questions

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

In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Patcham it is roughly fifteen minutes down the A23 and London Road into the city, then west to the Hove office. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Patcham or blend the two.

How do I start when I have never said any of this out loud?

The free 15-minute consultation exists for exactly that. It is a phone conversation, not an assessment, and you set how much of it you fill. If it seems workable, a first full session is usually a week or two away. No referral, no waiting list, no form from your GP.

How much is each session, and how long do they run?

An hour is £80 and suits most people. If you would rather have more room, 90 minutes is £100 and two hours is £120. That first 15-minute call costs nothing, so you can hear how the work is done and what the weekly commitment would be before deciding anything.

Where does the NHS route fit if I live in Patcham?

Brighton and Hove has no single council drug and alcohol page we can point you to, so the NHS find a service directory is the reliable way to see what is available near you. It sits alongside counselling rather than instead of it, and anything medical has to come through that side.

Can I switch between coming to Hove and meeting online?

Yes, and many people do. Winter evenings, a car in the garage, a week when the drive feels like too much, any of those can move a session to video without breaking the run of the work. Just say when you book which one you want that week.

My problem is betting, not drinking. Is this the right page?

It is. Nothing has to be swallowed for a habit to take your money, your sleep and your straightness with the people you live with. Online betting is built to keep you in it and leaves no bottles behind, which makes it easy to hide and hard to say aloud in a place where faces are familiar.

How do I reach the room from Patcham?

It is roughly fifteen minutes down the A23 and London Road into the city and across to the Hove room. If that journey is awkward, secure video sessions work just as well from home.

How do I reach the Hove room from Patcham for addiction counselling?

The route runs south down the A23 and London Road into Brighton, then west to Hove, about fifteen minutes by car, with buses following much the same way and parking near the room. Book a free fifteen-minute consultation first on 07914 681995 or online.

What are the fees, and is there free addiction help in Patcham?

Sessions are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours, with a free first call. Patcham is part of Brighton and Hove, so you can self-refer to Pavilions, the free Change Grow Live drug and alcohol service, with no GP referral.

Can I do addiction counselling online or in the evening from Patcham?

Yes. The Hove room is around fifteen minutes across the city, with evening slots available, but secure video is there when crossing town feels like more than you want. In a close, village-rooted suburb, many Patcham clients value talking privately from home.

Addiction Counselling in Patcham, 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: Preston Park, Hangleton, Brighton. See all areas I cover.

Related work in Patcham: substance use counselling, counselling for drinking problems and trauma counselling.

If you would like to read more first, I have written 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.