Daily or binge drinking
Support whatever your pattern looks like.
Counselling for Drinking Problems · Hove
Counselling for Drinking Problems in Hove
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Hove and the surrounding area, in person or online. Hove, with its elegant Regency squares, Church Road shops and wide seafront lawns, is home to my practice. 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 Hove
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Hove, at a glance
- Known for
- Palmeira Square, Hove Lawns, Church Road and Brunswick
- Area
- Brighton & Hove, East/West Sussex
- Getting to the Hove room
- The office sits on Western Road in central Hove, a few minutes' walk from Palmeira Square and the seafront, and a short bus ride from Hove Station.
- 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 Hove
What is going on for people in Hove?
Drinking in Hove looks respectable, which is part of the problem. It is a bottle shared over dinner, a glass on a bench near the Lawns on a warm evening, a round after work on Church Road, and none of it invites comment. The town is sociable in a settled, grown-up way, so alcohol arrives as good taste rather than as anything to worry about. The shift, when it comes, is internal. You start opening something earlier, or alone, or on nights you had decided not to. There is no scene, no incident, nothing anyone would notice, just a private awareness that the choice you used to make is now more or less automatic.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Hove
BrunswickPalmeira SquareChurch RoadGeorge StreetPoets CornerCliftonvilleThe Drive and Grand AvenueBlatchington
Wherever you are in Hove, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Hove
Official figures for Hove, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 578.7 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 611.7 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Admission episodes for alcohol-specific conditions (2023/24).
the alcohol-specific death rate was 16.4 per 100,000 in 2024, above the England average of 13.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Alcohol-specific mortality (2024).
Reviewed June 2026.
What is counselling for drinking problems, in practice?
Counselling for drinking problems here looks beneath the habit at what drives it, you do not need to have hit rock bottom to begin, and signposts medical, detox and peer support where useful.
Rather than say the same thing on every page, the substance lives on the full counselling for drinking problems page, with the practical side for the practical questions and how to check my registration for registration and ethics.
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.
You are within walking distance of the room if you live centrally, and a short bus ride from most of the rest of Hove, which makes a late-afternoon or early-evening appointment straightforward to keep. Sessions are held on Western Road. When an evening cannot be given up, or the thought of going out is unappealing, secure video runs the same hour from home, and people often move between the two.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What can counselling for drinking problems in Hove help with?
The cause, not the habit
Looking beneath the drinking to what drives it.
Anxiety and low mood
Working with what the alcohol has been managing.
Privacy at home
Sensitive support without anyone needing to know.
Signposting
Links to medical, detox and peer support where useful.
Without the anaesthetic
Reconnecting with the person beneath the drinking.
Counselling for Drinking Problems in Hove
Why people in Hove come for counselling for drinking problems
Nothing here depends on you giving up alcohol or on having already decided to. Most people arrive functioning perfectly well and simply worn down by how much thought the subject now takes: the counting, the postponed dry spell, the reassurance sought and not quite believed. The work looks at what alcohol has been asked to do. Frequently it is the only thing marking the end of the day, or the only reliable way to soften a feeling that has never been examined, and once that is understood the drinking has less holding it in place. The alcohol-specific death rate locally was 16.4 per 100,000 in 2024, above the England average of 13.8, which argues for taking an early worry seriously. For medical advice about reducing or stopping, use the NHS 'find a service' directory or your GP, and Mind in Brighton and Hove for the wider picture.
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 Hove
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 “Hove”).
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.
Hove questions
Counselling for Drinking Problems in Hove: common questions
Where do Hove sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?
In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. The office sits on Western Road in central Hove, a few minutes' walk from Palmeira Square and the seafront, and a short bus ride from Hove Station. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Hove or blend the two.
I have not decided whether I want to stop. Can I still book?
Yes, and undecided is the most common state to arrive in. Sessions are not a commitment to quitting, and there is no point at which you are asked to sign up to an outcome. Understanding the habit usually has to come before deciding anything about it.
Is drinking every evening at home actually a problem?
It depends on what it is doing and what it costs, not on where or how ordinary it looks. Regular home drinking is what most people describe, and it deserves the same attention as anything more visible. If you are asking, the question is already worth an hour.
Can you help me reduce safely?
Not directly, and that limit matters. Reducing or stopping heavy daily drinking can be medically risky and needs a doctor's involvement. Your GP or the NHS 'find a service' directory covers that. Counselling continues with everything the medical side does not touch.
Everybody in my circle drinks much the same way. Does that make it fine?
It makes it normal, which is not the same thing. Social circles drift together, and Hove has plenty of sociable drinking that nobody questions. The only measure that counts is what it is doing to your sleep, mood, health and relationships.
What are the charges and how long does this usually take?
Sessions are £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min and £120 / 120 min, after a free 15-minute consultation. Duration varies widely and is reviewed as you go rather than set at the start. Some people need a handful of weeks, others considerably longer.
I function fine day to day, is my drinking really a problem?
If it worries you, it is worth exploring; you do not need a crisis or a label to come. We look honestly together at what the drinking does for you and whether there is a steadier way, at your own pace.
How do I start counselling for drinking in Hove, and how do I get to the room?
Begin with a free fifteen-minute call, booked through the contact page or on 07914 681995. The room on Western Road is a short stroll from much of central Hove, with buses along Church Road and Western Road and on-street parking close by if driving.
What does drinking problem counselling cost in Hove, and what free help exists?
My fees are £80 for an hour, £100 for ninety minutes and £120 for two hours, after a free introductory call. For free support, Hove residents can self-refer to Pavilions for alcohol help and to NHS Talking Therapies Brighton and Hove for related low mood.
In person or online for a drinking problem in Hove, and are evenings possible?
Most Hove clients walk into the Western Road room, and evening appointments make that simple around work. If you would rather keep things at home, secure video works just as well, and many people mix face-to-face and online as the weeks go on.
Counselling for Drinking Problems in Hove, 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: Brighton, Portslade, Hangleton, Preston Park. See all areas I cover.
Close to this in Hove, there is addiction counselling, substance use counselling and depression counselling.
There is more on this in my writing: questioning “once an addict” and riding out an urge.
Prefer to meet remotely? The same counselling for drinking problems is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.