Daily or binge drinking
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Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Edinburgh
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Edinburgh
Online counselling for drinking problems for Edinburgh, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Edinburgh, from the Old Town and New Town to the streets around the castle, 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 Edinburgh
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Edinburgh, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Edinburgh: from the Old Town and New Town to Leith, Morningside and Portobello
- Known for
- The castle, Arthur's Seat and the Royal Mile
- Region
- Scotland (Scotland)
- 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 Edinburgh
Why people in Edinburgh reach out
Edinburgh balances a historic capital with a high-pressure professional, financial and festival life, and behind the elegant facades sit some of the highest living costs in Scotland. The intensity of work, study and the city's seasonal crowds can make it hard to find space for yourself.
Edinburgh wears two faces at once: the medieval closes and wynds tumbling down from the castle in the Old Town, and the ordered Georgian terraces of the New Town below. Life here runs between them. Office workers in the financial district around St Andrew Square, students filling the pubs of the Southside, and families walking the sands at Portobello all share a city that swells enormously each August when the Festival and Fringe arrive. The tourist crowds, the steep cost of a flat in Marchmont or Stockbridge, and the long professional hours in law, finance and government can leave residents feeling they are performing in a city that is always on show. Behind the elegant frontages, plenty of people are quietly worn out.
Capital-city life is exhilarating and exhausting at once, with time and privacy always short; an hour that comes to you is often what makes therapy possible.
Home to the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (NHS Lothian), Edinburgh is also one of the UK's largest financial centres, which shapes a high-pressure professional and student population.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Edinburgh
Old TownNew TownLeithMorningsidePortobelloStockbridgeBruntsfieldMarchmontCorstorphineNewington
Wherever you are in Edinburgh, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Edinburgh
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Edinburgh are living with, and why local support matters.
the age-standardised alcohol-specific death rate in the City of Edinburgh averaged 20.8 per 100,000 over 2020-2024, just below the Scotland average of 21.9 Source: National Records of Scotland, Alcohol-specific deaths 2024 (Table 4B) (2020-2024).
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.
Edinburgh has more counselling and NHS mental health provision than most of Scotland, yet waits for talking therapy through NHS Lothian can still stretch on, and a busy diary rarely leaves room to travel across town for an appointment. Because these sessions happen by secure video, they reach any flat or quiet room in the city. I work from Hove on the south coast of England, seeing clients across the whole UK online.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling for drinking problems in Edinburgh can help
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 Edinburgh
Why people in Edinburgh come for counselling for drinking problems
After-work drinks in the city's bars, wine to unwind from long hours in law or finance, the whole month of festival when Edinburgh barely sleeps, alcohol threads through so much of life here that a growing problem can hide in plain sight. When drinking is everywhere, it is hard to see the line you have quietly crossed. Counselling gives you a space to look at that honestly, without judgement and without anyone knowing. Held by secure video from your own home, it is a chance to understand what the drinking is doing for you and to find steadier ground.
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 Edinburgh
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Edinburgh, your GP can refer you to local NHS-funded drug and alcohol services, and you can find your nearest one via the NHS “find a service” directory.
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, and the Samaritans are on 116 123.
Edinburgh questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Edinburgh: common questions
Can I get online counselling for drinking problems if I live in Edinburgh?
Yes. I work with people right across Edinburgh, from the Old Town and New Town outwards, and anywhere else in Scotland, 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.
How do I know if my drinking is actually a problem?
If you are asking the question, it is worth exploring. It is less about how much you drink than whether it is costing you, your sleep, mood, relationships or sense of control. In our sessions we look at that honestly together, without judgement, and decide what you would like to change.
How quickly can I get help for a drinking problem online in Edinburgh?
Often within a week. We start with a free 15-minute consultation, then arrange your first secure video session. Nothing needs travelling to across Edinburgh and there is no local waiting list, so you can begin from home whenever you feel ready.
What do sessions cost, and how does that compare to NHS help in Edinburgh?
Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, after a free 15-minute consultation. NHS Lothian alcohol support is free but can mean a wait; paying privately brings a cost but usually a much sooner start.
Can I have evening online sessions about my drinking in Edinburgh?
Yes. Secure video means we can meet in the evening from your own home, away from the pressures of a busy Edinburgh week. There is no waiting room and no journey, so a private hour to talk about your drinking is easy to keep.
Can I have counselling in Edinburgh if I can't get time off work?
Yes. Sessions run by secure video, so you can join from home, from a parked car, or from a quiet room on a lunch break anywhere in the city. There's no journey across Edinburgh to fit in, which makes a regular appointment far easier to keep.
Do you have a room in Edinburgh?
No. I'm based in Hove in the south of England and work with people across Scotland and the wider UK entirely online. For Edinburgh clients that means video sessions rather than a room in the city, which many people find more private and easier to arrange.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Edinburgh, 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: Glasgow, Dunfermline, Falkirk. See all of Scotland.
All counselling & therapy in Edinburgh: 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.