Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Gloucester

Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Gloucester

Online counselling for drinking problems for Gloucester, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Gloucester, from the historic docks and the city centre to the streets around the cathedral, 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 Gloucester, introducing his approach
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Gloucester

Counselling for Drinking Problems for Gloucester, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Gloucester: from the historic docks and the city centre to Barton, Tredworth and Quedgeley
Known for
The cathedral, the historic docks and the quays
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 Gloucester

Why people in Gloucester reach out

Gloucester is a working cathedral city on the Severn with a proud but pressured industrial past, and parts of the city carry real deprivation. Insecure work, money worries and the everyday grind can build into stress and low mood that often go unspoken.

Gloucester works for its living. The restored docks on the Severn, once the most inland port in England, now mix warehouse-conversion flats and the outlet shops of the Quays with streets like Barton and Tredworth where money is tighter. The cathedral still draws visitors and film crews, and on match days Kingsholm fills with rugby crowds, but for many the week is shaped by shift work, the hospital, or a job that offers no guarantees. It is an unshowy city, proud and getting on with things, sitting in the shadow of smarter Cheltenham next door. That make-do spirit is a strength, yet it can also keep worries private for too long, when talking them through would ease the load.

Gloucester Cathedral and the historic docksGloucestershire Royal HospitalGloucester Rugby at Kingsholmthe city's engineering and distribution sector

Where work follows shifts and the rhythm of the docks, online sessions bend around unsociable hours rather than asking you to fit your life around them.

Gloucester's acute hospital is Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust); the city is known for Gloucester Cathedral and the historic Gloucester Docks.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Gloucester

BartonTredworthQuedgeleyKingsholmLonglevensHucclecotePodsmeadMatsonAbbeymeadTuffley

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

The local picture

The local picture in Gloucester

These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Gloucester 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.

Gloucester sits on the M5 with rail links towards Cheltenham, Bristol and Birmingham, and the two towns almost run together, though local buses can be slow going. Secure online sessions remove any need to travel, so we can meet from somewhere private at home. The room itself is in Hove, meaning Gloucester is served online; in-person appointments are only practical for those able to reach the Sussex coast.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online counselling for drinking problems in Gloucester 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 Gloucester

Why people in Gloucester come for counselling for drinking problems

Gloucester gets on with things, and for many that quietly includes a drink to unwind after a hard shift or an uncertain week. In a proud, make-do city, it can take a while to admit that alcohol has stopped being a release and become a worry. Counselling offers an honest, confidential hour to look at your drinking without judgement, and no journey to fit into the day. Sessions are held by secure video; the room is in Hove, so Gloucester is served online, with in-person visits only for 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 call

Drug, alcohol & addiction support in Gloucester

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Gloucester, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Gloucestershire County Council's drug and alcohol recovery 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.

Gloucester questions

Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Gloucester: common questions

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

Yes. I work with people right across Gloucester, from the historic docks and the city centre 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.

Can drinking counselling fit around an unpredictable working week in Gloucester?

Yes. Because we meet online, appointments can be arranged around changing rotas and busy weeks, with no extra travel. We speak by secure video from home. The counselling room is in Hove, so Gloucester is served online rather than in person.

How quickly can I get help for a drinking problem in Gloucester?

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 Gloucester, from Matson to Abbeymead, without joining a local waiting list.

What will drinking problem counselling cost, and is NHS help available in Gloucester?

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 Gloucester, through your GP or Gloucestershire Royal 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 Gloucester?

Yes. Online sessions are discreet, and you speak from home rather than a clinic anywhere in Gloucester, including Tuffley or Barton. 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.

Does it matter that I work shifts or have an uncertain job in Gloucester?

No. Because sessions are online, they can be arranged around changing rotas and busy weeks, with no travel to add to the day. We meet by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove, so Gloucester is served online rather than in person.

Gloucester and Cheltenham almost run together. Can I choose either for online sessions?

Yes. Sessions are held by secure video, so it makes no difference which side of the two towns you live on. The room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast, and we would simply meet online wherever you are.

Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Gloucester, 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: Cheltenham, Worcester, Swindon. See all of South West.

All counselling & therapy in Gloucester: 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.