Daily or binge drinking
Support whatever your pattern looks like.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Leicester
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Leicester
Online counselling for drinking problems for Leicester, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Leicester, from the centre and the Cultural Quarter to the streets around the market, 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 Leicester
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Leicester, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Leicester: from the centre and the Cultural Quarter to Belgrave, Highfields and Clarendon Park
- Known for
- The market, the King Richard III centre and the universities
- Region
- Midlands (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 Leicester
Why people in Leicester reach out
Leicester is one of the most diverse cities in the country, a place of many communities living closely together. The pressures of city life, money, housing and the work of holding family and tradition alongside modern life, can build quietly, and privacy can matter all the more in close-knit communities.
Leicester is one of Britain's most diverse cities, where many communities live closely together. Belgrave Road's Golden Mile lights up for Diwali, the covered market has traded for centuries, and the discovery of Richard III under a car park put the city on the world's front pages. There are two big universities in the University of Leicester and De Montfort, a Cultural Quarter around Curve and the Phoenix, and a textiles and food trade that still employs many. Amid the closeness of family and tradition and the everyday pressures of city life, a private, unhurried hour to talk something through can be a real help, especially where discretion matters.
With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.
Leicester is home to the University of Leicester and De Montfort University, and Leicester Royal Infirmary is one of the busiest emergency departments in the country.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Leicester
BelgraveHighfieldsClarendon ParkEvingtonKnightonAylestoneBraunstoneStoneygateWestcotesOadby
Wherever you are in Leicester, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Leicester
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Leicester are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 645.1 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above 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 18.4 per 100,000 in 2024, above 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.
Leicester sits on the Midland Main Line, with the station roughly an hour and a quarter from London St Pancras and quick links to Nottingham and Derby, while the M1 and M69 ring the city. Buses gather at the Haymarket and St Margaret's. For online work none of that applies. The counselling room is in Hove and Leicester is served by video, so you can meet from a private space at home rather than travelling anywhere.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling for drinking problems in Leicester 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 Leicester
Why people in Leicester come for counselling for drinking problems
Drinking can be a quiet worry in Leicester, sometimes hidden precisely because it sits uneasily with family or community expectations, sometimes simply because life in a busy, diverse city carries its own pressures. Whether you drink to wind down, to cope, or out of habit that has grown, counselling gives you a calm, confidential hour to look at it honestly and without judgement. Bradley Riddell works this through with you online, at your own pace. Based in Hove and serving Leicester by video, sessions happen from home, keeping things discreet and sparing you any journey across the city.
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 Leicester
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Leicester, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Leicester City Council's alcohol and drugs 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.
Leicester questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Leicester: common questions
Can I get online counselling for drinking problems if I live in Leicester?
Yes. I work with people right across Leicester, from the centre and the Cultural Quarter outwards, and anywhere else in Midlands, 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.
Do I need to give up alcohol before we start?
No. You do not need to have stopped or to have it all figured out. Counselling is a space to look honestly at your drinking and decide what you want to change, at your pace. Many people come while still drinking and unsure what they want.
How soon can I get help for a drinking problem in Leicester?
Soon. Help for a drinking problem is offered online across Leicester from the Hove room, so there is no local queue. A free 15-minute consultation lets us talk quietly first, and a full session usually follows within the same week, at a time that works for you.
What are the fees for drinking problem counselling, and how does NHS alcohol help in Leicester compare?
Private sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for two hours, after a free 15-minute consultation. Leicester's NHS alcohol services are free but can carry a wait, while private counselling begins more quickly and discreetly, at hours that suit you.
Would drinking problem counselling be in person, and are evenings available for Leicester?
It is online, since the room is in Hove and Leicester is served by video, so nobody locally need know. That discretion helps where family and tradition sit close. Evening appointments can often be arranged, useful when drinking worries are tangled with everyday city pressures.
Is everything kept private?
Yes. Sessions are confidential, and because they take place online you can join from wherever feels most private to you. In close-knit communities that discretion often matters, and meeting by video means no waiting room and no chance of bumping into a familiar face.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Leicester, 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 Midlands: Nottingham, Coventry, Derby. See all of Midlands.
All counselling & therapy in Leicester: 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.