Daily or binge drinking
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Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Liverpool
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Liverpool
Online counselling for drinking problems for Liverpool, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Liverpool, from the waterfront and the centre to the streets around the two cathedrals, 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 Liverpool
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Liverpool, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Liverpool: from the waterfront and the centre to Toxteth, Anfield, Allerton and Walton
- Known for
- The waterfront, the two cathedrals and the music heritage
- Region
- North 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 Liverpool
Why people in Liverpool reach out
Liverpool's warmth, humour and strong sense of community are famous, but the city has also weathered real hardship and disinvestment over the years. Insecure work and money pressure remain part of life for many, and the expectation to stay strong for everyone else can make it hard to admit you are struggling.
Liverpool is a city that talks, sings and remembers. The waterfront at the Pier Head, with its Three Graces and the Albert Dock, looks out over the Mersey that made the place, and the two cathedrals stand at either end of Hope Street. Music is everywhere, from the Cavern's memory to the Phil, and football runs deep on both sides of Stanley Park. Neighbourhoods each have their own character, from Georgian Toxteth to leafy Allerton and the terraces of Anfield and Walton. Scousers are known for humour and for looking out for one another, but that same instinct to stay strong for everyone else can make it harder to say when you yourself are struggling.
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.
Liverpool hosts the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University, the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and the Port of Liverpool. Community drug and alcohol services have been provided by Change Grow Live (River) since April 2025.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Liverpool
the city centre and waterfrontToxtethAnfieldAllertonWaltonAigburthWavertreeWooltonKensingtonthe Baltic Triangle
Wherever you are in Liverpool, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Liverpool
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Liverpool are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 1151.5 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 18.8 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.
I work from Hove, on the south coast, and see people across Liverpool online by secure video or phone. Wherever you are, in Aigburth, Wavertree or nearer the docks, the session comes to you, with nothing to arrange but a quiet hour and a connection. A lot of people find the familiarity of home makes it easier to open up. We'd fix a regular time that works around your week, and there'd be no journey into town.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling for drinking problems in Liverpool 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 Liverpool
Why people in Liverpool come for counselling for drinking problems
In a city where the round is a way of showing you care, drinking can grow heavier while everyone's still laughing. The expectation to stay strong for family and mates can keep a drinking problem hidden long after it's started to hurt. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor in Hove, and I work with people across Liverpool online, by secure video or phone. We look at your drinking without judgement, at what it's numbing and what you want instead. There's no waiting list and nowhere to travel; just a confidential hour from your own front room, in Walton, Aigburth or anywhere in 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 Liverpool
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. You can find your nearest free NHS-funded drug and alcohol service via the NHS “find a service” directory (search “Liverpool”).
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.
Liverpool questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Liverpool: common questions
Can I get online counselling for drinking problems if I live in Liverpool?
Yes. I work with people right across Liverpool, from the waterfront and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in North 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.
Do you work with people who've tried to cut down before and failed?
Absolutely. Slipping back is common and it doesn't mean you can't change. Often it tells us something useful about what's driving the drinking. We build on what you've already learned, without shame, and work out an approach that has a better chance of lasting.
How do I begin counselling for a drinking problem in Liverpool?
Book a free 15-minute consultation, we talk through what is happening, and if it feels right we arrange a first session, often within a week. It runs online from Hove, so wherever you are in Liverpool, from Allerton to Walton, you can start from home.
What will drinking problem counselling cost compared with the NHS in Liverpool?
NHS alcohol support across Merseyside is free but sometimes involves a wait. With me you get a free 15-minute consultation, then GBP 80 for 60 minutes, GBP 100 for 90 and GBP 120 for 120 minutes, with nothing hidden.
Is online counselling for drinking as effective as meeting in Liverpool, and are evenings possible?
For many, speaking from home makes it easier to be honest about drinking, and online keeps that. There is no Liverpool room to visit, only Hove, so it is video or phone. Evenings are usually available when daytime does not work.
Is this the same as the NHS talking therapies in Liverpool?
No. I'm an independent counsellor working online from Hove, separate from NHS Talking Therapies Liverpool. Some people come to me while waiting for NHS support, others prefer private sessions from the start. I'm glad to talk through which route might suit you, with no pressure either way.
Do you work with people right across Merseyside?
Yes. Because we meet online, it makes no difference whether you're in the city itself or out towards Bootle, Crosby or the Wirral. The connection is the same wherever you are, so we're not limited by which side of the river you happen to live on.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Liverpool, 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 North West: Warrington, Preston, Chester. See all of North West.
All counselling & therapy in Liverpool: 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.