Daily or binge drinking
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Counselling for Drinking Problems · Lewes
Counselling for Drinking Problems in Lewes
Counselling for Drinking Problems 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
Counselling for Drinking Problems 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?
Few towns have their relationship with drink quite as visible as this one. Harveys Brewery sits at the heart of Lewes, the pubs are part of how the place knows itself, and a good pint is a matter of local pride rather than a private vice. All of that is genuinely part of the town's character. It also makes it uncommonly hard to say out loud that your own drinking has stopped being enjoyable. When alcohol is woven into civic life, a personal difficulty with it feels like a failure of belonging as much as anything else. So people carry on going, carry on being cheerful about it, and do most of the worrying alone at home.
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-specific conditions was 507.1 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 10.8 per 100,000 in 2024, below the England average of 13.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Alcohol-specific mortality (2024).
Reviewed June 2026.
What would we do together in counselling for drinking problems?
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 main counselling for drinking problems page, with how I work for the practical questions and how to check my registration for registration and ethics.
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.
The drive to Hove takes around twenty minutes on the A27, and the train through Brighton is an easy alternative if you would rather not be behind the wheel afterwards. Sessions are held on Western Road, and a late-afternoon slot can take up the part of the day when drinking usually begins. Secure video is available whenever coming across is not realistic.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
Which difficulties does counselling for drinking problems address?
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 Lewes
Why people in Lewes come for counselling for drinking problems
Nothing here requires you to stop drinking, and nothing requires a crisis first. Most people who make contact are still working, still sociable and still perfectly well regarded, and are simply tired of how much attention the subject takes up. The sessions look at what alcohol has been doing rather than counting what you drink: marking the end of the day, easing the sociability a small town expects, or quietening something older that has never been put into words. Once those jobs are covered elsewhere, drinking becomes a choice again. Hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions across the county were 507.1 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 611.7 per 100,000. If you drink heavily every day, please speak to your GP first, and East Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support and STAR handle that medical ground.
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
Counselling for Drinking Problems 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.
Drinking is part of life here. So is mine just normal?
It means it is unremarkable, which is a different thing. A whole town can drink in a way that suits most people and not suit you at all. The measure is what it is doing to your sleep, mood, health and relationships, not how it compares locally.
Would I have to stop going to the pub with friends?
No. Nothing is banned, and stripping out your entire social life is one of the more reliable ways to make a change fail. We would work out which occasions matter, what you want to say when offered a drink, and how to be there comfortably.
Can you advise me on reducing what I drink?
That belongs with a doctor rather than a counsellor, because cutting back or stopping heavy daily drinking can be medically risky. Speak to your GP, or use East Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support and STAR. Sessions carry on with everything else in parallel.
I have not lost anything yet. Is it too early to come?
It is a good time, not a premature one. Habits that have not yet cost you a job, a relationship or your health are considerably easier to change, and there is no requirement to have anything to show for it before you are taken seriously.
What are the fees and how do I get started?
Start with the free 15-minute consultation, by phone or video, with nothing owed afterwards. Sessions are then £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min and £120 / 120 min, booked and paid one at a time so you can stop whenever you choose.
Drinking is part of life in Lewes, how do I know mine is a problem?
The question is less about the town's drinking culture than what alcohol has come to do for you. If it worries you, that is reason enough to talk it through, confidentially and without judgement, at your pace.
How do I book drinking problem counselling from Lewes?
Book a free fifteen-minute consultation on 07914 681995 or via the contact page. From Lewes the Hove room is about twenty minutes by car on the A27, or a fast direct train to Brighton and a couple of stops on to Hove.
What does drinking counselling cost, and what free help serves Lewes?
Fees are £80 for an hour, £100 for ninety minutes and £120 for two hours, after a free call. In East Sussex you can self-refer to Change Grow Live for free alcohol support, and to Health in Mind, the NHS Talking Therapies service, for underlying low mood.
In person or online for drinking in Lewes, and are evenings possible?
Both. The Hove room offers a private hour over the Downs, well away from a close county town, with evening slots to fit around life. When travelling is inconvenient, secure video is just as confidential, and you can blend the two as recovery settles.
Counselling for Drinking Problems 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.
If counselling for drinking problems is not quite what you are looking for, addiction counselling, substance use counselling and depression counselling may fit better in Lewes.
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.