Alcohol
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Online Addiction Counselling · London
Online Addiction Counselling in London
Online addiction counselling for London, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across London, from the inner boroughs to the streets around the City, 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 London
Addiction Counselling for London, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of London: from the inner boroughs to the outer suburbs, Zone 1 out to the edges of the M25
- Known for
- The City, the West End, the river and the great parks
- Region
- London & South East (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS drug & alcohol service finder (see below)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in London
Why people in London get in touch
London is the easiest place in the country to disappear, and that cuts both ways. Nobody in Hackney or Walthamstow notices what time you got home, or how much of the evening went into a betting app. The City financial district and Canary Wharf run on long hours and on drink that is folded into the job itself, while Shoreditch keeps going long after the last train. Yet the thing that has hold of you may involve no bar at all: a phone under the desk, an account topped up between meetings, a scroll that starts as boredom and finishes at three in the morning. Because provision is commissioned separately by each of the 32 boroughs, what exists in Camden is not what exists in Croydon.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around London
IslingtonCamdenHackneyShoreditchBrixtonCroydonEalingGreenwichCanary WharfWandsworthWalthamstow
Wherever you are in London, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in London
Official figures for London, for context rather than as a description of you.
Across the London region as a whole (all 32 boroughs), the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 403.1 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).
Across the London region as a whole (all 32 boroughs), the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 4.5 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 is addiction counselling, in practice?
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 addiction counselling page explains it properly, how I work answers the practical questions, and how to check my registration shows how the practice is held to account.
How do online sessions actually work?
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.
Bradley works from Hove, so every London appointment happens online by secure video. In a city where a cross-town journey can swallow an hour in each direction, that matters: the session takes the time it takes and nothing more. It also means no reception desk, and no risk of passing someone you know on the way in. People join from a flat in Wandsworth, from a parked car, or from a desk with a door that shuts.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
Which difficulties does addiction counselling address?
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 London
Why people in London come for addiction counselling
This is the broad service, and it is deliberately broad. Drink and drugs are part of it, but so are gambling, gaming, shopping, pornography and the phone itself: anything that has become the thing you reach for when a feeling arrives. Gambling is the one Londoners are least likely to name out loud, partly because it leaves nothing that anyone else can smell or count. What we look at together is the loop. What it does for you, when it began, what it takes, and which feeling it keeps stepping in front of. Shame is usually the loudest part of the whole business, and it is a poor teacher, so there is no telling-off in this work. For the statutory side, the NHS find a service directory will name the drug and alcohol service commissioned for your own borough. Good Thinking is the free NHS digital wellbeing service for Londoners, and Thrive LDN runs mental health work across the capital alongside 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 London
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 “London”).
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.
London questions
Online Addiction Counselling in London: common questions
How quickly could I actually start?
There is no referral to arrange and no waiting list to join. You book a free 15-minute consultation, which is a conversation rather than an assessment, and if it feels workable a weekly slot usually opens within a week or two. Borough services can take considerably longer than that to reach a first appointment.
What do sessions cost, and do I have to buy a block?
Nothing is bought upfront. That first 15-minute consultation costs nothing, and after it you pay one appointment at a time: £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min, £120 / 120 min. The hour suits most people. A longer session is useful when there is a great deal to set out at once.
Should I be going through the NHS instead of paying for this?
The two sit alongside each other perfectly well. The NHS find a service directory will point you to the drug and alcohol service commissioned by your own borough, whether you are in Camden, Croydon or Greenwich. Anything medical, and anything prescribed, has to come through that route or through your GP.
Can I do this from a flatshare where the walls are thin?
Plenty of Londoners do. Headphones deal with most of it, and you can keep your camera off for a first session if speaking is easier that way. Some people take the hour in a parked car, or from a bookable desk with a door. Telephone works when the connection will not hold steady.
My problem is an app on my phone rather than a substance. Does that still count?
It does. Betting, trading and gaming apps are built to hold your attention, and they work just as well on a crowded train out to Ealing as they do at home. Nothing has to be swallowed for something to take your money, your sleep and your honesty with the people you live with.
How do I fit addiction counselling around a demanding London job?
Because nothing needs travelling to, sessions can sit in the early morning, a lunch break or the evening once you are home. We settle on a regular time that survives late finishes and busy weeks, so the support stays steady even when the diary does not.
How soon can I begin online addiction counselling if I live in London?
Usually within a week. After a free 15-minute consultation to talk through what you are struggling with, we agree a regular time. Because sessions come to you online, there is no cross-London journey and no local waiting list to join, so people across the boroughs can start quickly.
What does addiction counselling cost in London, and can I get it on the NHS?
Privately, sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, with a free 15-minute consultation first. On the NHS, your GP can refer you, and every London borough funds a free local drug and alcohol service you can usually self-refer to.
I work long hours in the City. Is this online, and are there evening slots?
It is held securely online, which suits a demanding London week better than crossing town after work. Evening appointments are often the most practical around early starts and late finishes. The room itself is in Hove, a train from the London terminals, if you ever prefer to meet in person.
Online Addiction Counselling in London, 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: Watford, Slough, Reading, Guildford. See all of London & South East.
Also available in London: substance use counselling, counselling for drinking problems and trauma counselling.
You may also find it useful to read about the four Rs framework and illness or indulgence?.
For anyone near the coast, the same addiction counselling runs in person in Brighton. Every area covered is listed separately.