Daily or binge drinking
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Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Exeter
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Exeter
Online counselling for drinking problems for Exeter, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Exeter, from the cathedral quarter and the quay to the streets around the university, 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 Exeter
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Exeter, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Exeter: from the cathedral quarter and the quay to St Thomas, Heavitree and Pinhoe
- Known for
- The cathedral, the quay and the university
- Region
- South 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 Exeter
Why people in Exeter reach out
Exeter pairs a historic cathedral core with a large and growing university, and the two can pull in different directions: the quiet expectations of a county city and the intense pressure of student and academic life. Rising costs and a sense of being the regional outlier in a rural county add to the strain people carry.
Exeter carries itself as a county capital. The cathedral green fills with lunch breaks and the restored quay draws walkers down to the canal, while up on the ridge the university keeps expanding and drawing students from across the country. The Met Office, headquartered here, and the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital anchor a steady professional class, yet housing costs push many out towards St Thomas and Pinhoe. Set among Devon's farms and moor, Exeter can feel like the one busy place for miles, which brings its own quiet loneliness for anyone who arrives without roots. Behind the settled, well-kept surface, the pressure to appear coping is real, and a confidential hour offers somewhere honest to set it down.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Exeter is home to the University of Exeter and the Met Office headquarters; its main hospital is the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, run by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Exeter
St ThomasHeavitreePinhoeSt LeonardsExwickWhiptonAlphingtonWonfordTopsham
Wherever you are in Exeter, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Exeter
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Exeter are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 568.2 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 611.7 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Admission episodes for alcohol-specific conditions (2023/24).
the alcohol-specific death rate was 10.6 per 100,000 in 2024, below the England average of 13.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Alcohol-specific mortality (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.
Exeter has two central stations at St Davids and Central, the M5 close by and its own airport out to the east, but rural Devon spreads far beyond the city and journeys in can be long. Secure online sessions mean none of that matters, letting us meet from wherever you feel settled. The counselling room is in Hove, so Exeter is served online; in-person sessions suit only those able to travel to the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling for drinking problems in Exeter 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 Exeter
Why people in Exeter come for counselling for drinking problems
In a comfortable county city like Exeter, where much of life looks orderly and self-contained, drinking can quietly become the way people take the edge off, and the pressure to appear fine keeps it out of sight. When the days look settled, admitting that alcohol has become a worry can feel out of step. Counselling offers an unhurried, confidential hour to look at your drinking honestly, with no lectures. Sessions are held by secure video, so there is no trip in from rural Devon. The room is in Hove, so Exeter is served online; in-person visits suit only those who can reach the Sussex coast.
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 Exeter
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Exeter, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Devon County Council's alcohol and drug support.
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.
Exeter questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Exeter: common questions
Can I get online counselling for drinking problems if I live in Exeter?
Yes. I work with people right across Exeter, from the cathedral quarter and the quay outwards, and anywhere else in South West, 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 live outside Exeter and drinking has crept up on me. Can I still get help?
Yes. Meeting online means no drive into the city and no bus to catch, and we speak by secure video from home. A confidential hour lets you look at your drinking honestly. The counselling room is in Hove, so Exeter is served online.
How quickly can I get help for a drinking problem in Exeter?
Usually within days. We start with a free 15-minute consultation to see whether we are a good fit, then book your first full session. It is all online, so you can begin from anywhere in Exeter, from Wonford to Topsham, without joining a local waiting list.
What will drinking problem counselling cost, and is NHS help available in Exeter?
My fees are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, after a free 15-minute consultation. NHS alcohol support in Exeter, through your GP or the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, is free but can mean a wait, whereas private online sessions with me are paced around you.
Is online drinking problem counselling private, and can we meet in the evening in Exeter?
Yes. Online sessions are discreet, and you speak from home rather than a clinic anywhere in Exeter, including St Thomas or Heavitree. I offer some evening slots for after work. My only in-person room is in Hove, so face-to-face suits those able to travel to the Sussex coast.
I'm a student at the University of Exeter. Can we work together online?
Yes. Online sessions fit around lectures and deadlines and can be taken from your accommodation without travelling across the city. The counselling room is in Hove, so we would meet by secure video wherever you are in Exeter.
I work at the Met Office or the hospital and keep irregular hours. Does that fit?
It does. Online sessions can be arranged around shifts and long days, so you are not tied to a set commute. We meet by secure video; the room is in Hove, meaning Exeter is served online rather than in person.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Exeter, 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 South West: Plymouth, Torquay, Taunton. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Exeter: 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.