Daily or binge drinking
Support whatever your pattern looks like.
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
- 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 Edinburgh
What brings people in Edinburgh to counselling?
Drinking is stitched into how Edinburgh works. The client dinner, the round after a long day, the pub as the default meeting place through a dark winter, then a month in August when the whole city has an excuse. In Stockbridge and Morningside it is wine at home and looks like nothing; in Leith it might be visible in a bar, and gets judged more harshly for no good reason. High professional expectations make admitting to it harder still, because the pattern here is not falling apart but functioning immaculately while drinking far more than anyone realises, including you. Nobody nearby is likely to raise it either, since most of them are doing something close to the same thing on the same evenings.
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
Official figures for Edinburgh, for context rather than as a description of you.
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).
In the City of Edinburgh, 4.0% 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 actually happens in counselling for drinking problems?
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.
What actually happens in the room is the same everywhere, so it is written up once: see the full counselling for drinking problems page for the methods, how sessions run and what they cost for fees and session lengths, and my BACP registration if you want to check who you would be working with.
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 run by secure video from Hove, as there is nowhere in the city to attend, which for drinking has practical advantages. There is no dark walk to an appointment in January and no chance of meeting someone from work on the stair. You can talk from home at the hour the drinking usually starts. The free 15-minute consultation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What does counselling for drinking problems help with?
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
You do not have to be in trouble to look at this, and you do not have to promise to stop. Alcohol-specific deaths in the City of Edinburgh averaged 20.8 per 100,000 over 2020-2024, just under the Scotland average of 21.9, while the drinking that quietly damages careers, marriages and sleep in this city never registers in any figure. That is the territory this work covers. We look at the specific point in the evening when the decision gets made, what the first drink turns off, and what would have to be different for that hour to be manageable. Some people aim at abstinence and some at moderation, and it does not have to be settled in week one. The Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership hubs and the North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre both offer alcohol support. See your GP before changing a heavy daily intake.
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 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.
Edinburgh questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Edinburgh: common questions
Everyone in my line of work drinks like this. Is mine actually a problem?
A shared culture tells you what is normal in an industry, not what alcohol is doing to you. The more useful questions are whether you can reliably stop when you intend to, and what the drinking is costing you in sleep, mood and honesty at home.
What is the fee for a session?
£80 for an hour, £100 for ninety minutes and £120 for two hours, paid individually. Weekly suits most people at the outset, dropping to fortnightly once things settle. There is no package and no notice period, and the introductory 15-minute call is free.
Where does alcohol support come from locally?
The Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership runs locality Recovery Hubs and the North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre serves the north of the city. Your GP is the route into NHS services, and Breathing Space Scotland answers free on 0800 83 85 87 for low mood in the evenings.
Can I get an appointment outside office hours?
Evening slots exist and are what most working people in Edinburgh use. Because there is no journey involved, a late session is realistic even after a long day, and you are not leaving the office visibly early to get somewhere across town by six.
August wrecks my routine every year. Is it worth starting before then?
Starting before a predictably hard month is usually better than starting during it. You go into the busy season already knowing what your pattern is and what actually helps, rather than trying to work that out while running on four hours of sleep.
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.
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.
Also available in Edinburgh: addiction counselling, substance use counselling and depression counselling.
You may also find it useful to read about questioning “once an addict” and riding out an urge.
For anyone near the coast, the same counselling for drinking problems runs in person in Hove, where the room is. Every area covered is listed separately.