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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.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
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
- Gloucestershire County Council's drug and alcohol recovery support
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Gloucester
What brings people in Gloucester to counselling?
Gloucester is a working city and it does not put on much of a show. The engineering and distribution sector sets the hours for a great many people, shifts that start early or finish long after the rest of the street has gone to bed. Kingsholm fills on a match day and empties again. Between those markers, life in Barton, Tredworth, Matson and Podsmead runs on tight money and long weeks. That is fertile ground for anything offering a quick change of mood: a bet placed on a phone during a warehouse break, a few cans on the way home, a game that carries on after everyone else has stopped.
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
Official figures for Gloucester, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 422.8 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 5.1 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, below the England average of 5.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Deaths from drug misuse (2022 - 24).
Reviewed June 2026.
What does addiction counselling involve?
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 method travels; only the geography changes. the full addiction counselling page explains it properly, how sessions run and what they cost answers the practical questions, and my BACP registration shows how the practice is held to account.
What happens in an online session?
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link, held to the same BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call, you join from any private space on a phone, tablet or laptop.
There is no consulting space in Gloucester; Bradley works from Hove and everything runs by secure video. Where shift patterns are concerned, that is the practical difference between having help and not having it. Sessions can be placed after a night shift or before an early one, and none of them need a bus or a car park. You need a private hour and somewhere to sit. Bedrooms, vans and a quiet corner of an empty house all work.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What can addiction counselling in Gloucester 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 Gloucester
Why people in Gloucester come for addiction counselling
This work is not limited to drink and drugs. Gambling belongs here, and so do gaming, shopping, pornography and a phone that has become impossible to put down. What they share is a loop: something dependable that shifts your mood, then costs you money, sleep or honesty, then demands more of itself to repair what it caused. We look at where that loop began and what it is standing in for. Across Gloucestershire, hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions stood at 422.8 per 100,000 in 2023/24, under the England average of 504.1, while deaths from drug misuse were 5.1 per 100,000 for 2022 to 2024, also under the England average of 5.8. Statutory help comes through Gloucestershire County Council's drug and alcohol recovery support, delivered by Via Gloucestershire. Nothing here replaces that; it works better beside it.
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 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.
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.
Gloucester questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Gloucester: common questions
What happens on the first call?
It lasts 15 minutes, it is free, and it is a conversation rather than a form. You describe as much as you want to. If you decide to carry on, a weekly slot usually opens within a fortnight. No GP, no referral and no waiting list.
Can I afford this on shift wages?
Worth being straightforward about. An hour is £80, 90 minutes is £100 and two hours is £120, with nothing paid in advance and no minimum commitment. The 15-minute call is free. If it is out of reach, the county service costs nothing and is a genuine option.
What does Via Gloucestershire actually do?
It is the adult drug and alcohol service for the county, reached through Gloucestershire County Council's drug and alcohol recovery support. Structured treatment, harm reduction and prescribing all sit with them, at no cost. This is weekly private counselling running beside that.
I work nights. Will the times fit?
Usually. Early and late slots both exist, and since there is nothing to travel to, an appointment fits into a gap rather than requiring a day off. Keeping the same slot each week helps more than picking a convenient one, especially when a habit is tied to a rota.
Betting is the only thing I do. Is that really addiction?
It is, and it is among the hardest to spot, because there is nothing to smell and no empties to find. Warehouse breaks and long nights are exactly when the apps do their best work. If money has gone that you cannot account for, bring that.
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.
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.
People who come for addiction counselling in Gloucester often also look at substance use counselling, counselling for drinking problems and trauma counselling.
There is more on this in my writing: illness or indulgence? and a cognitive-restructuring exercise for compulsive behaviour.
For anyone near the coast, the same addiction counselling runs in person in Hove, where the room is. Every area covered is listed separately.