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Online Addiction Counselling · Middlesbrough
Online Addiction Counselling in Middlesbrough
Online addiction counselling for Middlesbrough, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Middlesbrough, from the centre and the Transporter to the streets around the Transporter Bridge, 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 Middlesbrough
Addiction Counselling for Middlesbrough, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Middlesbrough: from the centre and the Transporter to Linthorpe, Acklam and Ormesby
- Known for
- The Transporter Bridge, the Riverside and the Cleveland Hills
- Region
- Yorkshire & North East (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- Middlesbrough Council's drug and alcohol support
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Middlesbrough
What is going on for people in Middlesbrough?
Middlesbrough was built on iron, steel and chemicals, and the culture that came with that work prizes getting on with things. Pride of that kind is a real strength and a real obstacle: it keeps people upright for years and it makes the first admission feel like a collapse. The pressure is not evenly spread either. Nunthorpe and Marton carry a different weight from Grove Hill, Berwick Hills or North Ormesby, though the compulsion itself does not care which. Shifts in the chemical and process industry of Teesside leave odd hours to fill, and a betting account, a bottle or a screen will fill them without ever asking anything of you.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Middlesbrough
LinthorpeAcklamOrmesbyMartonNunthorpeBerwick HillsGrove HillCoulby NewhamNorth OrmesbyGresham
Wherever you are in Middlesbrough, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Middlesbrough
Official figures for Middlesbrough, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 667.5 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 12.5 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).
Reviewed June 2026.
What actually happens in addiction counselling?
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 does not change with the postcode, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods and what each session covers, on the main addiction counselling page, alongside how sessions run and what they cost and qualifications, registration and ethics.
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.
Sessions are held online by secure video and nowhere else. Bradley works from Hove, so there is no room in Middlesbrough and nothing to walk into. In a town this closely connected, that removes the single biggest worry people raise, which is being seen. A slot can sit between shifts, or after the children are in bed, or on a weekday morning when the house in Acklam or Ormesby is finally empty. The first 15 minutes are free and you owe nothing afterwards.
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 Middlesbrough
Why people in Middlesbrough come for addiction counselling
Asking for help with something you built a reputation for handling alone is not a small thing here. Most people put it off until the habit has cost them sleep, money or a relationship, and then arrive apologising for wasting my time. Nothing is being wasted. Addiction covers gambling and other behavioural compulsions as well as drink and drugs, and around here the betting side often runs quietly under everything else. We work out what the pattern gives you before we touch what it takes, because the taking is already obvious to you. Middlesbrough Council's drug and alcohol support is the free local route, Middlesbrough Recovering Together provides confidential drug and alcohol treatment through Change Grow Live, and Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind covers wider mental health. Counselling runs alongside all of that. If you use or drink daily, your GP should be involved before anything changes.
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 Middlesbrough
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Middlesbrough, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Middlesbrough 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.
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.
Middlesbrough questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Middlesbrough: common questions
I have never told anyone in Middlesbrough about this - how private is it?
Completely private. There is no building to be spotted outside, no local receptionist and no shared record with any service in the town. You pay me directly. Nothing goes to your GP, your employer or Middlesbrough Council unless you decide to involve them yourself.
Does this cover gambling in Middlesbrough as well as drink and drugs?
Yes. Gambling forms the same loop as any substance and often costs more, faster, particularly where money is already tight. Behavioural compulsions such as gaming or compulsive spending are treated the same way. Nothing needs to be swallowed for the problem to be genuine.
What are the fees, and what is free locally if I cannot manage them?
Counselling is £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min or £120 / 120 min, with a free 15-minute consultation first. Middlesbrough Recovering Together offers free confidential help with drugs and alcohol, and Middlesbrough Council's drug and alcohol support sets out the way in.
I work continental shifts on Teesside - can appointments move around?
They can. Rather than holding one fixed weekly hour, we book each session as your rota firms up, including early mornings and later evenings. Shift work is one of the clearest reasons people give for choosing to work online instead of committing to a standing appointment.
What actually happens in the first session?
We talk. I ask what you are doing, how long it has been like this, and what prompted you to get in touch now rather than last year. You are not asked to promise anything or to give it up that day. By the end we agree what would be useful to look at next.
Are you actually based in Middlesbrough?
No. I work from Hove and see Middlesbrough clients by secure video call. Being hundreds of miles away makes no difference online - sessions come to you at home rather than needing a trip across Teesside, which is often easier to keep up week to week.
Can I start addiction counselling in Middlesbrough soon?
Yes. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor based in Hove, and I see people across Middlesbrough online rather than from a room in the city. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then set a regular weekly slot for addiction support, usually starting within a week or two once you feel ready.
Do you offer in-person or evening addiction counselling in Middlesbrough?
For Middlesbrough it is online rather than in person, since my room is in Hove on the south coast. Many find secure video suits addiction work well, joining from home in Linthorpe or Acklam without a commute. I hold some daytime and early-evening slots, so we can usually find a regular time that fits.
Online Addiction Counselling in Middlesbrough, 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 Yorkshire & North East: Darlington, Sunderland, Durham. See all of Yorkshire & North East.
People who come for addiction counselling in Middlesbrough often also look at substance use counselling, counselling for drinking problems and trauma counselling.
If you would like to read more first, I have written about illness or indulgence? and a cognitive-restructuring exercise for compulsive behaviour.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same addiction counselling is available in person, in Brighton, or see every area I cover.