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Addiction Counselling · Rottingdean
Addiction Counselling in Rottingdean
Addiction Counselling for Rottingdean and the surrounding area, in person or online. Rottingdean is a picturesque village with its windmill, pond and High Street, set just back from the white cliffs. 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 Rottingdean
Addiction Counselling for Rottingdean, at a glance
- Known for
- Rottingdean windmill, the village pond and Kipling Gardens
- Area
- Coast: Brighton to Newhaven, East/West Sussex
- Getting to the Hove room
- From Rottingdean it is a scenic fifteen to twenty minute drive along the coast road into Brighton and on to Hove.
- 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 Rottingdean
What is going on for people in Rottingdean?
Everything in the village happens within a few hundred yards. The High Street runs down to the sea, the pond sits at the bottom of it, and the windmill on Beacon Hill is visible from most of the roads above. Whiteway Lane, Nevill Road and Steyning Road are the sort of streets where cars get recognised and absences get noticed. That is a comfort in a hard week and a problem when what you are dealing with is something you would rather nobody knew. Gambling, drinking, a habit that has stopped being occasional: all of them prefer somewhere unobserved, and there is very little unobserved space in a place this size. So people hold it, walk past the Green looking ordinary, and say nothing.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Rottingdean
The High StreetThe GreenWhiteway LaneNevill RoadMarine DriveSteyning RoadFalmer Road
Wherever you are in Rottingdean, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Rottingdean
Official figures for Rottingdean, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 413.5 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 11.1 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, above the England average of 5.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Deaths from drug misuse (2022 - 24).
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.
What actually happens in the room is the same everywhere, so it is written up once: see the main addiction counselling page for the methods, how I work 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.
It is a fifteen to twenty minute drive along the coast road into Brighton and on to the Hove office, which is a stretch of road most people here know well. In-person sessions happen there in a private room. That distance is often the point: the appointment sits outside the village entirely. When the weather, the traffic or the week makes the drive unattractive, the same session runs online by secure video from home.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What can addiction counselling in Rottingdean 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 Rottingdean
Why people in Rottingdean come for addiction counselling
This service takes in more than substances. Gambling in particular tends to arrive late and quietly, because there is nothing to see and nothing to smell, and by the time it is spoken about a lot of money and a lot of dishonesty have usually accumulated. Gaming, shopping, pornography and the phone can all behave the same way. The work looks at the mechanism rather than the morality of it. What the habit is reliably providing, when it began providing it, what it now costs across money, sleep and the relationships in your house. In a small place the added weight is often the concealment itself, which becomes a second job. Deaths from drug misuse across Brighton and Hove reached 11.1 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, against 5.8 nationally. For statutory support the NHS find a service directory lists the drug and alcohol services available, and Mind in Brighton and Hove has its own provision.
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 Rottingdean
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 “Rottingdean”).
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.
Rottingdean questions
Addiction Counselling in Rottingdean: common questions
Where do Rottingdean sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?
In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Rottingdean it is a scenic fifteen to twenty minute drive along the coast road into 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 Rottingdean or blend the two.
Everyone knows everyone here. How private is this really?
Entirely private. Sessions are in Hove rather than anywhere in the village, the building gives nothing away, and nothing is recorded with your GP. If even the drive feels conspicuous, video sessions mean nobody sees you go anywhere at all.
How much does it cost?
An hour of counselling is £80. Longer appointments are available at £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, though most people stay with the hour. The 15-minute consultation beforehand is free and obliges you to nothing at all.
Is there a free NHS service for addiction I could use?
Yes. The NHS find a service directory is the route to specialist drug and alcohol services, and it is the accurate one to use here because Brighton and Hove has no verified council page. Using that alongside private counselling is perfectly normal.
Is the drive along the coast worth it every week?
Many people find it is, partly because those twenty minutes either side give the hour a beginning and an end. Others treat in-person as the exception rather than the rule. Both work, and you can decide week by week rather than at the start.
My betting is on my phone and nobody in the village knows. Should I still come?
Yes, and hiding it well is not evidence that it is under control. Online betting runs day and night with no closing time and leaves no trace anyone could stumble on, which is exactly why it can grow untroubled for a long stretch where everything else gets noticed.
Is it discreet, coming from a small village like Rottingdean?
Yes. The room is in central Hove, well away from the village, with no shared waiting area, and everything is confidential. Many clients also choose online sessions for complete privacy.
How do I reach your Hove room from Rottingdean for addiction counselling?
The coast road west into Brighton and on to Hove is a scenic fifteen to twenty minute drive, and the 12 bus runs along the coast towards Brighton, where you continue to Hove. Book a free fifteen-minute consultation first on 07914 681995 or online.
What are the fees, and is there free addiction help near Rottingdean?
Sessions are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours, with a free first call. Rottingdean is part of Brighton and Hove, so you can self-refer to Pavilions, the free Change Grow Live drug and alcohol service, without a GP.
Can addiction counselling be online or in the evening from Rottingdean?
Yes. In a small village where faces are known, many value the discretion of secure video, though the Hove room is fifteen to twenty minutes along the coast, well away from the High Street. Evening slots are available, and blending both is fine.
Addiction Counselling in Rottingdean, 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: Saltdean, Woodingdean, Kemp Town. 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 Rottingdean.
There is more on this in my writing: 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.