Alcohol
For when drinking has stopped feeling like a choice.
Addiction Counselling · Woodingdean
Addiction Counselling for Woodingdean and the surrounding area, in person or online. Woodingdean sits high on the Downs to the east of Brighton, one of the city's highest and breeziest neighbourhoods. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.

In and around Woodingdean
Woodingdean is one of Brighton's highest neighbourhoods, set on the South Downs east of the city near Castle Hill nature reserve.
Life in Woodingdean
Woodingdean sits high on the Downs east of Brighton, one of the breeziest and most open corners of the city, where the streets meet chalk grassland almost at once. Castle Hill and Happy Valley lie on the doorstep, and the wide skies and sea views give the place a distinct, slightly remote character. It is a tight community, a bus ride from the shops and services down the hill, and that sense of being set apart cuts both ways when life gets hard. A confidential counselling room down in Hove offers a change of scene and real privacy, and for days when the journey feels like too much, online sessions bring support straight to you.
Areas covered
Wherever you are in Woodingdean, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Woodingdean are living with, and why local support matters.
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).
Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.
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 is the same wherever you come from, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods, what each session covers and fees, on the main addiction counselling page and on how I work.
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.
From Woodingdean the road drops down past the racecourse into Brighton and on west to Hove, around twenty minutes by car. Buses run down the hill towards the city, where you can continue by bus or taxi to Western Road. There is parking near the room. When the trip across feels like more than you want, the same sessions are available online by secure video.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
For when drinking has stopped feeling like a choice.
Compassionate, confidential help with substance use.
Breaking the cycle of compulsive gambling, guilt and debt.
Support for food and process addictions.
Help for those living alongside someone's addiction.
We treat the cause, not just the symptom.
Addiction Counselling in Woodingdean
High on the Downs east of Brighton, Woodingdean is one of the city's breeziest, most out-of-the-way neighbourhoods, and that sense of being a little apart can deepen the isolation of carrying a habit alone. Whether it is gambling, a substance or a compulsion managed quietly at home, addiction counselling here looks beneath the behaviour at the pain it soothes. The journey down into the city and across to my Hove room takes around twenty minutes, and online sessions mean the distance need never be a reason not to start.
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 callMy 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 “Woodingdean”).
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:
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.
Woodingdean questions
In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Woodingdean the journey down into the city and across to Hove takes around twenty minutes by car or bus. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Woodingdean or blend the two.
No. We begin wherever you are. The work is about understanding the need the behaviour has been meeting, not passing a test first.
Yes. The same approach applies to gambling, food and other compulsive behaviours, because we work with the underlying pattern rather than only the substance.
Completely. Sessions are private, online means no waiting room, and everything is held under the BACP Ethical Framework.
Absolutely. The room is around twenty minutes away by car or bus, but many Woodingdean clients choose secure video so distance and the hill are no barrier; the work is just as effective from home.
The road drops down past the racecourse into Brighton, then west to Hove, about twenty minutes by car, with buses following much the same route to near Western Road. Book a free fifteen-minute consultation first on 07914 681995 or through the contact page.
Sessions are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours, with a free first call. Woodingdean 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 needed.
Yes. The trip down the hill to Hove is manageable, with evening slots available, but on this high, breezy spot many value online video when the weather or the day makes travelling hard. You can mix in-person and online as suits.
The road drops down past the racecourse into Brighton, then heads west to Hove, about twenty minutes by car, with buses following much the same route. It is a manageable trip, but many Woodingdean clients value the ease of online video sessions when the weather or the day makes travelling hard.
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: Kemp Town, Rottingdean, Brighton. See all areas I cover.
All counselling & therapy in Woodingdean: Substance Use · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.
Prefer to meet remotely? The same addiction counselling is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.