Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Cambridge

Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Cambridge

Online counselling for drinking problems for Cambridge, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Cambridge, from the colleges and the centre to the streets around the Backs, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.

Online across the UKSecure videoFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, BACP-registered counsellor offering online counselling for drinking problems for Cambridge, introducing his approach
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Cambridge

Counselling for Drinking Problems for Cambridge, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Cambridge: from the colleges and the centre to Mill Road, Cherry Hinton and Chesterton
Known for
The colleges, the Backs and the river Cam
Region
East of England (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 Cambridge

Why people in Cambridge reach out

Cambridge carries an extraordinary concentration of academic and professional high achievement, and with it some of the highest living costs in the country. The pressure to perform, whether you are a student, a researcher or working in its booming science and tech sector, can leave little room to admit you are struggling.

Cambridge folds a world-famous university into an everyday working city, and the two rarely sit still. Term brings the colleges and the Backs to life, while out at the Biomedical Campus around Addenbrooke's and across the science parks that ring the city, the labs and start-ups of Silicon Fen run to their own restless clock. Between the punts on the Cam and the cycle traffic along Mill Road, there is a quiet expectation to keep pace. People arrive from all over the world and often move on again, so friendships can feel provisional and the settled networks that steady us are not always to hand. Under the postcard architecture, plenty of residents carry more than the bright surface suggests, and finding an unhurried hour for yourself is genuinely hard.

the University of CambridgeAddenbrooke's Hospital and the Cambridge Biomedical Campusthe science and technology sector of Silicon FenAnglia Ruskin University

With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.

Cambridge is home to the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke's Hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust); NHS mental health services are provided by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Cambridge

Mill RoadCherry HintonChestertonTrumpingtonNewnhamRomseyArburyPetersfieldKings HedgesColeridge

Wherever you are in Cambridge, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.

The local picture

The local picture in Cambridge

These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Cambridge are living with, and why local support matters.

Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.

The counselling for drinking problems itself

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 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 counselling for drinking problems 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 with people across Cambridge and the wider Fens by video call and phone, rather than from a room in the city. I am based in Hove, so sessions come to you wherever you are, whether that is a flat off Mill Road, a house in Chesterton or a quiet office between meetings. All you need is a private space and a reliable connection, and we can find a time that fits around study, shift work or the commute.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online counselling for drinking problems in Cambridge can help

Daily or binge drinking

Support whatever your pattern looks like.

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 Cambridge

Why people in Cambridge come for counselling for drinking problems

Drinking often slips past unnoticed in a city that runs on formal halls, college bars and the wind-down after a punishing week. In Cambridge, where so much rests on staying sharp, it can be unsettling to notice that the wine or the pints have become the thing that gets you through. Whether you are worried about how much you drink or simply tired of the morning-after fog, we can look at it without alarm or judgement. I work online from Hove, so there is no clinic to visit and no one to pass in the street, just a private, unhurried hour from your own room to make honest sense of your drinking.

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 call

Drug, alcohol & addiction support in Cambridge

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 “Cambridge”).

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.

Cambridge questions

Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Cambridge: common questions

Can I get online counselling for drinking problems if I live in Cambridge?

Yes. I work with people right across Cambridge, from the colleges and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in East of England, by secure video, no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.

Do I have to stop drinking completely to start?

No, and you do not need to have hit rock bottom. We look at the role drinking plays and find a steadier way forward at your pace.

Can you help me cut down rather than quit?

For many people moderation is a valid goal, and we will be honest together about what is realistic for you.

What if I've tried before and relapsed?

Relapse is part of many people's recovery, not a failure. We learn from it rather than start the count again from zero.

I am not sure my drinking is bad enough to need help. Should I still come?

Yes. You do not need to hit a crisis to talk about drinking; if it is on your mind, that is reason enough. Working online from Hove, you can weigh it up honestly from home, at a time that fits around study or work, without anyone needing to know.

Can I get help for a drinking problem online in Cambridge quickly?

Yes. Working from Hove, I support people across Cambridge by video and phone with no local waiting list, so we can usually begin within a week. A free 15-minute consultation comes first, then we find a first session that fits around study, research or the daily commute.

What will drinking problem counselling cost compared with NHS help in Cambridge?

Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, after a free 15-minute consultation. NHS alcohol services in Cambridge cost nothing but may involve a wait, whereas private online sessions with me can start quickly and stay private, with no waiting room to sit in.

Do you offer evening or in-person drinking counselling for people in Cambridge?

I work online only, from Hove, rather than a room in the city, and evening times are available. That helps if you would rather not be recognised near Mill Road or the colleges. You talk from a private space at home, around teaching terms, deadlines or shift work.

Do I need to come to a clinic in Cambridge to see you?

No. I am based in Hove and work with people in Cambridge entirely online, by secure video or phone. That often suits a city where days are shaped by lab hours, teaching terms or a long commute, because there is no travel and no waiting room, just a private hour that fits your week.

Can this help if I am a student or researcher under pressure?

Yes. Many people connected to the university or the science parks find the pace hard to admit to. Working online means you can talk things through from your own room, around supervisions or deadlines, without needing to be seen walking into somewhere in town.

Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Cambridge, 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 East of England: Peterborough, Norwich. See all of East of England.

All counselling & therapy in Cambridge: Addiction · Substance Use · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.

Closer to the Sussex coast? The same counselling for drinking problems is available in person in Brighton & Hove, or see all in-person areas.