Online Addiction Counselling · Gloucester

Online Addiction Counselling in Gloucester

Online addiction counselling for Gloucester, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Gloucester, from the historic docks and the city centre to the streets around the cathedral, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.

Online across the UKSecure videoFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, BACP-registered counsellor offering online addiction counselling for Gloucester, introducing his approach
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Gloucester

Addiction Counselling for Gloucester, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Gloucester: from the historic docks and the city centre to Barton, Tredworth and Quedgeley
Known for
The cathedral, the historic docks and the quays
Region
South West (England)
Local NHS / support route
Local council drug & alcohol service (see below)
Format
Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.

Life in Gloucester

Why people in Gloucester reach out

Gloucester is a working cathedral city on the Severn with a proud but pressured industrial past, and parts of the city carry real deprivation. Insecure work, money worries and the everyday grind can build into stress and low mood that often go unspoken.

Gloucester works for its living. The restored docks on the Severn, once the most inland port in England, now mix warehouse-conversion flats and the outlet shops of the Quays with streets like Barton and Tredworth where money is tighter. The cathedral still draws visitors and film crews, and on match days Kingsholm fills with rugby crowds, but for many the week is shaped by shift work, the hospital, or a job that offers no guarantees. It is an unshowy city, proud and getting on with things, sitting in the shadow of smarter Cheltenham next door. That make-do spirit is a strength, yet it can also keep worries private for too long, when talking them through would ease the load.

Gloucester Cathedral and the historic docksGloucestershire Royal HospitalGloucester Rugby at Kingsholmthe city's engineering and distribution sector

Where work follows shifts and the rhythm of the docks, online sessions bend around unsociable hours rather than asking you to fit your life around them.

Gloucester's acute hospital is Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust); the city is known for Gloucester Cathedral and the historic Gloucester Docks.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Gloucester

BartonTredworthQuedgeleyKingsholmLonglevensHucclecotePodsmeadMatsonAbbeymeadTuffley

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

The local picture

The local picture in Gloucester

These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Gloucester are living with, and why local support matters.

Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.

The addiction counselling itself

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 live, 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.

How online sessions work

Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link held to the same strict BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, you join each session from any private space using a phone, tablet or laptop, no software to install, no waiting room and no journey at either end.

Gloucester sits on the M5 with rail links towards Cheltenham, Bristol and Birmingham, and the two towns almost run together, though local buses can be slow going. Secure online sessions remove any need to travel, so we can meet from somewhere private at home. The room itself is in Hove, meaning Gloucester is served online; in-person appointments are only practical for those able to reach the Sussex coast.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online addiction counselling in Gloucester can help

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 Gloucester

Why people in Gloucester come for addiction counselling

Gloucester's make-do, get-on-with-things spirit is a real strength, but it can also keep worries private for far too long, and addiction thrives on being kept quiet. Amid shift work, uncertain jobs and the everyday grind of an unshowy working city, a habit can take hold with nobody the wiser. Counselling offers a confidential space to talk it through and ease the load, with no travel to add to a busy week. Sessions are held by secure video; the room is in Hove, so Gloucester is served online, with in-person appointments only for those able to reach the Sussex coast.

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 Gloucester

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Gloucester, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Gloucestershire County Council's drug and alcohol recovery 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.

Gloucester questions

Online Addiction Counselling in Gloucester: common questions

Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Gloucester?

Yes. I work with people right across Gloucester, from the historic docks and the city centre outwards, and anywhere else in South West, by secure video, no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.

Do I have to be abstinent before we start?

No. We begin wherever you are. The work is about understanding the need the behaviour has been meeting, not passing a test first.

Can you help with gambling or behavioural addictions, not just substances?

Yes. The same approach applies to gambling, food and other compulsive behaviours, because we work with the underlying pattern rather than only the substance.

Is it really confidential if I'm worried about people finding out?

Completely. Sessions are private, online means no waiting room, and everything is held under the BACP Ethical Framework.

Does it matter that I work shifts or have an uncertain job in Gloucester?

No. Because sessions are online, they can be arranged around changing rotas and busy weeks, with no travel to add to the day. We meet by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove, so Gloucester is served online rather than in person.

How soon can I start addiction counselling in Gloucester?

Once you get in touch we usually arrange a free 15-minute consultation within a few days, then book your first full session soon after. Everything runs online, so wherever you are in Gloucester, from Barton to Tredworth, you can begin without waiting for a local referral.

What are your fees, and how do they compare with NHS support in Gloucester?

Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, with a free 15-minute consultation first. NHS support in Gloucester, through your GP or services around Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, is free but can involve a wait, whereas private online work with me usually starts within days.

Is online addiction counselling as effective as meeting in person in Gloucester?

For most people it works just as well, and many prefer the privacy. My consulting room is in Hove, so face-to-face suits only those able to travel to the Sussex coast. Meeting online spares you the trip across Gloucester near the historic docks, and I keep some later appointments for busy weeks.

Does it matter that I work shifts or have an uncertain job in Gloucester?

No. Because sessions are online, they can be arranged around changing rotas and busy weeks, with no travel to add to the day. We meet by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove, so Gloucester is served online rather than in person.

Gloucester and Cheltenham almost run together. Can I choose either for online sessions?

Yes. Sessions are held by secure video, so it makes no difference which side of the two towns you live on. The room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast, and we would simply meet online wherever you are.

Online Addiction Counselling in Gloucester, 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 online across South West: Cheltenham, Worcester, Swindon. See all of South West.

All counselling & therapy in Gloucester: Substance Use · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.

Closer to the Sussex coast? The same addiction counselling is available in person in Brighton & Hove, or see all in-person areas.