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Online Addiction Counselling · Manchester
Online Addiction Counselling in Manchester
Online addiction counselling for Manchester, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Manchester, from the city centre and the Northern Quarter to the streets around the canals, 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 Manchester
Addiction Counselling for Manchester, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Manchester: from the city centre and the Northern Quarter to Didsbury, Rusholme, Chorlton and Wythenshawe
- Known for
- The canals, the music venues and the two universities
- 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 Manchester
Why people in Manchester reach out
Manchester moves at speed, a young, creative, fast-growing city of music, sport and tech, and that energy can be as exhausting as it is exciting. Soaring rents, long hours and the loneliness that can hide inside a busy city all take a toll, and finding time and privacy for yourself is hard.
Manchester wears its history and its reinvention side by side. Grand Victorian warehouses in Ancoats now sit above coffee roasters and studios, while the Metrolink trams thread out from the centre to Didsbury, Chorlton and beyond. This is a city of music and football, of the Bridgewater Hall and Old Trafford, of the Curry Mile in Rusholme and the students who fill Oxford Road each autumn. The pace is real, and so is the warmth beneath it. People here are quick with a welcome and slow to make a fuss, and for all the buzz of Spinningfields and the Northern Quarter, there are plenty of ordinary streets where someone might be quietly finding things hard behind the front door.
With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.
Manchester is home to the University of Manchester, one of the UK's largest single-site universities, and to Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Manchester
the Northern QuarterAncoatsDidsburyChorltonRusholmeFallowfieldLevenshulmeWithingtonHulmeWythenshawePrestwich
Wherever you are in Manchester, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Manchester
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Manchester are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 535.8 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 10.4 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'm based in Hove and work with people across Manchester online, by secure video or phone. That means the session comes to you, whether you're in a flat in Ancoats, a house in Chorlton or somewhere out towards Wythenshawe, with no tram ride or city-centre parking to sort out first. Many people find it easier to speak openly from their own front room. We'd agree a regular time that fits around work and family, and you'd never need to travel.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Manchester 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 Manchester
Why people in Manchester come for addiction counselling
Manchester moves at speed, and it is easy for an addiction to hide inside all that energy. Between long hours in Spinningfields, late nights in the Northern Quarter and the loneliness that can sit quietly in a busy city, the space to stop and think rarely comes. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor based in Hove, and I work with people across Manchester online, by secure video or phone. Whether you're in a flat in Ancoats or a house in Chorlton, the session comes to you. There's no clinic to find and no tram to catch, just a confidential hour that fits around your week.
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 Manchester
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Manchester, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Manchester City Council's alcohol, drugs and substance use 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.
Manchester questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Manchester: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Manchester?
Yes. I work with people right across Manchester, from the city centre and the Northern Quarter 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.
Do I have to travel into central Manchester for counselling?
No. I work entirely online, so wherever you are in the city, from Didsbury to Wythenshawe, we meet by secure video or phone. You keep your own routine and speak from somewhere private, with no journey into town and no waiting room to sit in.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Manchester?
Usually within a week or so. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then arrange your first full session by secure video or phone. I work from Hove and see people right across Manchester online, from Ancoats to Chorlton and Wythenshawe, so there is no clinic waiting list to join.
What does addiction counselling cost, and how does it compare with the NHS in Manchester?
Manchester has NHS Talking Therapies and support through Manchester Royal Infirmary, which are free but often carry a wait. Privately with me a 60-minute session is GBP 80, 90 minutes GBP 100 and 120 minutes GBP 120, after a free 15-minute consultation. Many people use both.
Do you offer in-person or evening addiction sessions in Manchester?
I do not work in person here; my room is in Hove and Manchester sessions are all online. That suits the city well, since there is no tram ride or centre parking to sort. Working online also makes evenings and quieter daytime slots easier to arrange around shifts and study.
Do you offer counselling in person in Manchester?
No. I'm based in Hove on the south coast, so all my work with people in Manchester is online, by video or phone. If you'd prefer to sit with someone in the room, the city has many local counsellors and NHS Talking Therapies; otherwise online lets us meet wherever you are.
Can we meet around shift or student hours?
Yes. Working online makes evenings and quieter daytime slots easier to arrange, which helps if you're a student on Oxford Road or working shifts across the city. We'd settle on a regular time that suits you and keep it consistent from week to week.
Online Addiction Counselling in Manchester, 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: Bolton, Stockport, Oldham. See all of North West.
All counselling & therapy in Manchester: 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.