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Online Addiction Counselling · Liverpool
Online Addiction Counselling in Liverpool
Online addiction counselling for Liverpool, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Liverpool, from the waterfront and the centre to the streets around the two cathedrals, 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 Liverpool
Addiction Counselling for Liverpool, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Liverpool: from the waterfront and the centre to Toxteth, Anfield, Allerton and Walton
- Known for
- The waterfront, the two cathedrals and the music heritage
- Region
- North 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 Liverpool
Why people in Liverpool reach out
Liverpool's warmth, humour and strong sense of community are famous, but the city has also weathered real hardship and disinvestment over the years. Insecure work and money pressure remain part of life for many, and the expectation to stay strong for everyone else can make it hard to admit you are struggling.
Liverpool is a city that talks, sings and remembers. The waterfront at the Pier Head, with its Three Graces and the Albert Dock, looks out over the Mersey that made the place, and the two cathedrals stand at either end of Hope Street. Music is everywhere, from the Cavern's memory to the Phil, and football runs deep on both sides of Stanley Park. Neighbourhoods each have their own character, from Georgian Toxteth to leafy Allerton and the terraces of Anfield and Walton. Scousers are known for humour and for looking out for one another, but that same instinct to stay strong for everyone else can make it harder to say when you yourself are struggling.
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.
Liverpool hosts the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University, the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and the Port of Liverpool. Community drug and alcohol services have been provided by Change Grow Live (River) since April 2025.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Liverpool
the city centre and waterfrontToxtethAnfieldAllertonWaltonAigburthWavertreeWooltonKensingtonthe Baltic Triangle
Wherever you are in Liverpool, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Liverpool
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Liverpool are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 596 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above 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 13.9 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, above 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.
I work from Hove, on the south coast, and see people across Liverpool online by secure video or phone. Wherever you are, in Aigburth, Wavertree or nearer the docks, the session comes to you, with nothing to arrange but a quiet hour and a connection. A lot of people find the familiarity of home makes it easier to open up. We'd fix a regular time that works around your week, and there'd be no journey into town.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Liverpool 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 Liverpool
Why people in Liverpool come for addiction counselling
Liverpool's warmth and humour are famous, and part of that culture is staying strong for everyone else. But the city has weathered real hardship, and being the one who holds things together can make it hard to admit an addiction is running your life. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor based in Hove, and I work with people across Liverpool online, by secure video or phone. From the waterfront to Anfield, Toxteth or Allerton, you don't have to keep up appearances with me. We meet in confidence, on your terms, with nothing to prove and no journey to make.
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 Liverpool
My online 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 “Liverpool”).
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.
Liverpool questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Liverpool: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Liverpool?
Yes. I work with people right across Liverpool, from the waterfront and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in North 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.
Can I get help without everyone finding out?
Yes. Working online means no one sees you walk into a service. You speak from home, in confidence, and what you share stays between us. In a close-knit city like Liverpool that privacy matters, and it's one of the main reasons people choose online counselling.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Liverpool?
Often within a week. We start with a free 15-minute consultation, then book your first full session by secure video or phone. I am based in Hove and work across Liverpool and Merseyside online, from Aigburth to Anfield, so there is no local waiting list to sit on.
How do your fees compare with NHS addiction support in Liverpool?
NHS Talking Therapies Liverpool and services linked to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital are free, though waits differ. Privately with me it is a free 15-minute consultation, then GBP 80 for 60 minutes, GBP 100 for 90 and GBP 120 for 120 minutes.
Do you see people in person in Liverpool, or only online in the evenings?
Only online. My room is in Hove, so every Liverpool session is by video or phone, whether you are in Wavertree, Woolton or over on the Wirral. That flexibility means evenings and quieter daytime slots are usually easy to arrange around work.
Is this the same as the NHS talking therapies in Liverpool?
No. I'm an independent counsellor working online from Hove, separate from NHS Talking Therapies Liverpool. Some people come to me while waiting for NHS support, others prefer private sessions from the start. I'm glad to talk through which route might suit you, with no pressure either way.
Do you work with people right across Merseyside?
Yes. Because we meet online, it makes no difference whether you're in the city itself or out towards Bootle, Crosby or the Wirral. The connection is the same wherever you are, so we're not limited by which side of the river you happen to live on.
Online Addiction Counselling in Liverpool, 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 North West: Warrington, Preston, Chester. See all of North West.
All counselling & therapy in Liverpool: 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.