Alcohol
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Online Addiction Counselling · Hastings
Online Addiction Counselling in Hastings
Online addiction counselling for Hastings, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Hastings, from the Old Town and the Stade to the streets around the fishing beach, 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 Hastings
Addiction Counselling for Hastings, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Hastings: from the Old Town and the Stade to St Leonards, Ore and Silverhill
- Known for
- The Old Town, the fishing beach and the cliffs
- Region
- London & South East (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 Hastings
Why people in Hastings reach out
Hastings is a town of real character and real contrasts, a creative, independent place that also carries some of the sharpest deprivation on the south coast. Seasonal and insecure work, the distance from larger centres, and the long winters once the visitors have gone can all weigh on people, and good local support is not always easy to find.
Hastings is a town of vivid character, from the net huts and fishing boats on the Stade to the tangled lanes of the Old Town and the faded grandeur of St Leonards. A strong creative and independent community has made its home here, drawn by the light, the cheaper rents and the sea, and galleries and studios sit alongside the working fishing beach. Yet that colour exists next to some of the sharpest hardship on the south coast, with seasonal and insecure work common across Ore and Silverhill and the long winters weighing heavily once the visitors have gone. Being a distance from larger towns, and finding good support stretched, only adds to the load, and a dependable, confidential space can be genuinely hard to come by.
A seaside town can feel cut off once the season ends and the front goes quiet, so online support that does not depend on who happens to practise nearby matters here.
Hastings is a coastal town with a long fishing heritage and is served by the Conquest Hospital; parts of the town are among the more deprived areas in the South East.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Hastings
Old TownSt LeonardsOreSilverhillHollingtonBohemiaWest HillClive ValeCentral St Leonards
Wherever you are in Hastings, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Hastings
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Hastings are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 499.3 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 4.9 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).
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.
Hastings sits at the end of its rail lines, and travelling to appointments elsewhere can eat up much of a day. Online counselling changes that: you join securely from home, with no long journey along the coast or up the line. The practice room is in Hove, further west along the same shore if you would ever prefer to meet in person, but for Hastings the sessions are held online, close and dependable wherever you are in the town.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Hastings can help
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 Hastings
Why people in Hastings come for addiction counselling
Hastings is a town of vivid contrasts, a creative, independent place that also carries some of the sharpest hardship on the south coast. Seasonal and insecure work, the long winters once the visitors have gone, and the distance from larger centres can all weigh heavily, and in that weight an addiction can quietly take hold. Good local support is not always easy to find here. Whatever has built up, we can look at it plainly and without judgement. Sessions are held securely online with a male counsellor whose room is in Hove, further west along the same shore, so there is nothing to travel to. You join from home, dependably, wherever you are in the town.
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 Hastings
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Hastings, 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.
Hastings questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Hastings: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Hastings?
Yes. I work with people right across Hastings, from the Old Town and the Stade outwards, and anywhere else in London & South East, 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.
Work here is seasonal and money is tight. Is online counselling easier to keep up?
It can be, yes. Without travel costs or time lost to a journey, sessions are simpler to fit around insecure or seasonal work. We can also talk openly about money worries and the strain of the quiet months, which are a real part of life for many in Hastings.
How soon can I start online addiction counselling in Hastings?
Usually within a week. After a free 15-minute consultation we set a regular time. Hastings sits at the end of its rail lines, where travelling to appointments elsewhere can eat up a day, so online matters: you join securely from home in the Old Town, St Leonards, Ore or Silverhill.
What are the fees in Hastings, and is addiction counselling on the NHS?
Privately, £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, after a free 15-minute consultation. Good local support can feel stretched, so it is worth knowing your GP can refer you and East Sussex's council-funded drug and alcohol service accepts self-referrals for free.
Online or in person from Hastings, and can sessions flex around seasonal work?
Most people here work online, which spares a long trip up the line or along the coast, and sessions flex around insecure, seasonal hours, evenings included. Hove lies further west along the same shore, so an in-person meeting is a genuine option if you would ever prefer to meet face to face.
Work here is seasonal and money is tight in winter. Is online counselling easier to keep up?
It can be, yes. Without travel costs or time lost to a journey, sessions are simpler to fit around insecure or seasonal work. We can also talk openly about money worries and the strain of the quiet months, which are a real part of life for many in Hastings.
Online Addiction Counselling in Hastings, 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 London & South East: Eastbourne. See all of London & South East.
All counselling & therapy in Hastings: 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.