Daily or binge drinking
Support whatever your pattern looks like.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Aberdeen
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Aberdeen
Online counselling for drinking problems for Aberdeen, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Aberdeen, from the granite centre and the harbour to the streets around the granite architecture, 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 Aberdeen
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Aberdeen, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Aberdeen: from the granite centre and the harbour to Old Aberdeen, Torry and Bridge of Don
- Known for
- The granite architecture, the harbour and the North Sea
- Region
- Scotland
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS inform's drugs and drug use pages
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Aberdeen
Why people in Aberdeen get in touch
Most drinking in Aberdeen looks entirely ordinary from outside. The onshore fortnight has a shape: a pint on the day you land, a heavier weekend, then a bottle of wine most evenings because it is the only thing that turns the noise down. In Mannofield and Cults it happens quietly at home, hidden inside a demanding job and a full diary. Rotating shifts make it worse, because alcohol is the fastest way to fall asleep at the wrong time of day and the least reliable. Nobody is being carried out of a bar. That is precisely why it can carry on for years without anybody, including you, calling it a problem.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Aberdeen
Old AberdeenTorryBridge of DonRosemountFerryhillMannofieldFootdeeDyceCultsKincorth
Wherever you are in Aberdeen, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Aberdeen
Official figures for Aberdeen, for context rather than as a description of you.
the age-standardised alcohol-specific death rate in Aberdeen City averaged 21.7 per 100,000 over 2020-2024, close to the Scotland average of 21.9 Source: National Records of Scotland, Alcohol-specific deaths 2024 (Table 4B) (2020-2024).
In Aberdeen City, 5.0% of adults reported a low life satisfaction score (4 or below out of 10) in the year ending March 2023, compared with a Scotland average of 6.1%, a difference the survey's margin of error does not confirm. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Personal well-being estimates by local authority (Year ending March 2023 (2022-23)).
Reviewed June 2026.
What does counselling for drinking problems involve?
Counselling for drinking problems here looks beneath the habit at what drives it, you do not need to have hit rock bottom to begin, and signposts medical, detox and peer support where useful.
The method travels; only the geography changes. the main counselling for drinking problems 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.
What do I need for 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 online from Hove, since there is nowhere in Aberdeen to come to, and for drinking that often helps. You can talk at eight in the evening from your own kitchen rather than turning up somewhere sober and self-conscious at six. Weekly suits most people early on, moving to fortnightly later if that fits better. The free 15-minute consultation costs nothing and commits you to nothing at all.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
Which difficulties does counselling for drinking problems address?
The cause, not the habit
Looking beneath the drinking to what drives it.
Anxiety and low mood
Working with what the alcohol has been managing.
Privacy at home
Sensitive support without anyone needing to know.
Signposting
Links to medical, detox and peer support where useful.
Without the anaesthetic
Reconnecting with the person beneath the drinking.
Counselling for Drinking Problems in Aberdeen
Why people in Aberdeen come for counselling for drinking problems
You do not have to have lost anything yet, and you do not have to want to stop for good. A lot of people start simply wanting to know why every evening ends the same way, and leave the question of abstinence open for months. Alcohol-specific deaths in Aberdeen City averaged 21.7 per 100,000 over 2020-2024, close to the Scotland average of 21.9, and almost all the drinking that quietly damages a life never appears in a figure like that. We look at what alcohol is regulating: the comedown after a trip, anger you would rather not say out loud, sleep you cannot otherwise get. We look at the hour it starts and what happens when you move that hour. Alcohol and Drugs Action supports people with alcohol across the city, and the NHS 'find a service' directory lists alcohol services. Talk to your GP before changing a heavy daily intake, because that part is medical.
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 Aberdeen
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Aberdeen, your GP can refer you to local drug and alcohol services, and you can find support through NHS inform's drugs and drug use pages.
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 24 on 111 for urgent mental health support. Breathing Space is free on 0800 83 85 87, the Samaritans are on 116 123, and you can 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.
Aberdeen questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Aberdeen: common questions
I am not dependent, I just drink most nights. Is that worth bringing?
It is. Far more people are troubled by steady, functional drinking than by anything dramatic, and it is much easier to shift before it hardens. Bringing it early is not wasting anyone's time; it is the point at which counselling has the most to work with.
What are the fees if I come about my drinking?
One hour is £80, ninety minutes £100, and a two-hour session £120. Most people choose the hour and come weekly at first. You can stop whenever you like, with no notice period and no package to finish. Before any of that there is a free 15-minute consultation to try.
Which local service should I contact as well?
Alcohol and Drugs Action has a helpline and drop-in for people in Aberdeen, and the NHS 'find a service' directory shows local alcohol treatment; a GP appointment is the other reliable starting point. If an evening becomes unbearable, Breathing Space Scotland is free on 0800 83 85 87.
Can I have a session late, after a shift or once the house is quiet?
Evening appointments exist and are usually where shift workers land. Because it is video, there is no drive home afterwards and no last train to catch, which makes a late slot far easier to keep than an in-person one would be for anyone working offshore rotations.
Everyone I know here drinks the way I do. Does that mean it is fine?
Not necessarily. A shared norm tells you about a culture, not about what alcohol is costing you specifically, and the north-east has long normalised drinking that quietly hurts people. The question worth asking is what it does for you and what it takes back, not how you compare.
I only drink heavily when I am back onshore, is that a problem?
It can be. A pattern of dry spells followed by heavy drinking is still worth understanding, especially if it is straining your health or your time at home. We look at what alcohol is doing in those weeks back, without judgement, and what you would want to change.
How quickly can I get help for a drinking problem online in Aberdeen?
Often within a week. We start with a free 15-minute consultation, then arrange your first secure video session. Nothing needs travelling to across the city or the wider north east, and there is no waiting list, so you can begin from home whenever suits.
What do sessions cost, and how does that compare to NHS help in Aberdeen?
Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, after a free 15-minute consultation. NHS Grampian alcohol support is free but can carry a wait; paying privately brings a cost yet usually a much sooner start.
Can I have evening online sessions about my drinking in Aberdeen?
Yes. Secure video means we can meet in the evening from your own home, or around the pattern of offshore work. There is no journey across Aberdeen and no waiting room, so a private hour to talk about your drinking stays easy to keep.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Aberdeen, 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 Scotland: Dundee, Perth. See all of Scotland.
People who come for counselling for drinking problems in Aberdeen often also look at addiction counselling, substance use counselling and depression counselling.
There is more on this in my writing: riding out an urge and why practice makes permanent.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same counselling for drinking problems is available in person, in Hove, where the room is, or see every area I cover.