Alcohol
For when drinking has stopped feeling like a choice.
Online Addiction Counselling · Stockport
Online Addiction Counselling in Stockport
Online addiction counselling for Stockport, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Stockport, from the centre and the old town to the streets around the viaduct, 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 Stockport
Addiction Counselling for Stockport, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Stockport: from the centre and the old town to Heaton Moor, Reddish, Bramhall and Cheadle
- Known for
- The viaduct, the hat works and the river Mersey
- 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 Stockport
Why people in Stockport reach out
Stockport blends comfortable suburbs with tougher inner areas on Manchester's southern edge, and the commute into the city shapes many lives. Long days, high housing costs and the contrast between affluent and struggling neighbourhoods all add to the pressures people carry.
Stockport is a town of levels, the great railway viaduct striding over the Mersey while the old market and the Underbanks climb the hill above. Once a centre for hatting, it now blends comfortable, leafy suburbs with a busy centre that's seen real renewal around the market and Redrock. Heaton Moor and Bramhall have their villagey feel, Reddish and Edgeley their own; County play at Edgeley Park, and the trains and buses pull many people north into Manchester each day. There's a particular Stockport mix of the settled and the striving, and behind the well-kept fronts of the leafier streets, difficulty can be just as present and just as quietly borne.
When the week runs on the early train and the late return, an hour you take from home removes the very journey that stops many people starting.
Stockport sits on Manchester's southern edge; its main hospital is Stepping Hill Hospital, run by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Stockport
the town centre and old townHeaton MoorReddishBramhallCheadleCheadle HulmeMarpleEdgeleyHazel Grove
Wherever you are in Stockport, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Stockport
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Stockport are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 467.8 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 7.2 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 online from Hove, seeing people across Stockport by secure video or phone. Whether you're in Heaton Moor, Cheadle, Bramhall or nearer the centre, the session comes to you, with no commute and no waiting room. For people whose days already revolve around the trip into Manchester, not having to travel for support often comes as a relief. We'd agree a regular time that works around your week and keep to it.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Stockport 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 Stockport
Why people in Stockport come for addiction counselling
Stockport blends comfortable suburbs with tougher inner areas, and for many the daily commute into Manchester shapes everything. Long days, high housing costs and the contrast between affluent and struggling streets all add pressure, and an addiction can hide inside a life that looks busy and fine from outside. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor based in Hove, and I work with people across Stockport online, by secure video or phone. From Heaton Moor to Bramhall or Reddish, we meet in confidence, on your terms, with no commute of your own to add and nothing to travel to.
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 Stockport
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 “Stockport”).
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.
Stockport questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Stockport: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Stockport?
Yes. I work with people right across Stockport, from the centre and the old town 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.
I already commute into Manchester all day. Can sessions fit around that?
Yes. Working online means we can meet early, late or from home on a non-office day, without adding another journey to your week. You save the travel time entirely and speak from somewhere private, which most Stockport commuters find far easier to keep up.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Stockport online?
Usually within a week. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then book your first session by secure video or phone. I work from Hove and see people across Stockport online, from Heaton Moor to Bramhall, so there is no commute and no waiting list to join.
How do your fees compare with NHS addiction help in Stockport?
NHS Talking Therapies and services through Stepping Hill Hospital are free, though waits vary. 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, all clearly set out.
I commute into Manchester; can addiction sessions fit around that, online?
Yes. My room is in Hove, so Stockport sessions are all online, with no extra journey. We can use an early slot before the train, a lunch break or an evening once you are home, and keep it a steady point in your week.
I commute into Manchester, can sessions fit around that?
Yes. Working online means we can use an early slot before the train, a lunch break or an evening once you're home, without the extra journey a clinic would add. We'd find a time that fits your commute and keep it consistent, so it becomes a steady point in the week.
Online Addiction Counselling in Stockport, 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: Manchester, Oldham. See all of North West.
All counselling & therapy in Stockport: 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.