Daily or binge drinking
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Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Manchester
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Manchester
Online counselling for drinking problems for Manchester, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Manchester, from the city centre and the Northern Quarter to the streets around the canals, 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 Manchester
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Manchester, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Manchester: from the city centre and the Northern Quarter to Didsbury, Rusholme, Chorlton and Wythenshawe
- Known for
- The canals, the music venues and the two universities
- 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 Manchester
Why people in Manchester reach out
Manchester moves at speed, a young, creative, fast-growing city of music, sport and tech, and that energy can be as exhausting as it is exciting. Soaring rents, long hours and the loneliness that can hide inside a busy city all take a toll, and finding time and privacy for yourself is hard.
Manchester wears its history and its reinvention side by side. Grand Victorian warehouses in Ancoats now sit above coffee roasters and studios, while the Metrolink trams thread out from the centre to Didsbury, Chorlton and beyond. This is a city of music and football, of the Bridgewater Hall and Old Trafford, of the Curry Mile in Rusholme and the students who fill Oxford Road each autumn. The pace is real, and so is the warmth beneath it. People here are quick with a welcome and slow to make a fuss, and for all the buzz of Spinningfields and the Northern Quarter, there are plenty of ordinary streets where someone might be quietly finding things hard behind the front door.
With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.
Manchester is home to the University of Manchester, one of the UK's largest single-site universities, and to Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Manchester
the Northern QuarterAncoatsDidsburyChorltonRusholmeFallowfieldLevenshulmeWithingtonHulmeWythenshawePrestwich
Wherever you are in Manchester, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Manchester
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Manchester are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 928.7 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 16.3 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'm based in Hove and work with people across Manchester online, by secure video or phone. That means the session comes to you, whether you're in a flat in Ancoats, a house in Chorlton or somewhere out towards Wythenshawe, with no tram ride or city-centre parking to sort out first. Many people find it easier to speak openly from their own front room. We'd agree a regular time that fits around work and family, and you'd never need to travel.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling for drinking problems in Manchester 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 Manchester
Why people in Manchester come for counselling for drinking problems
After-work drinks in the city bars, a big football weekend, a culture where the round keeps going; in Manchester drinking can slide from social to something heavier without a clear line being crossed. If you've started counting the mornings you feel rough, that's worth taking seriously. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor in Hove, and I work with people across Manchester online, by secure video or phone. We look honestly at your drinking, what sits underneath it and what you actually want, at a pace that suits you. No lectures, no waiting list, and nowhere to travel to.
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 Manchester
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Manchester, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Manchester City Council's alcohol, drugs and substance use 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.
Manchester questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Manchester: common questions
Can I get online counselling for drinking problems if I live in Manchester?
Yes. I work with people right across Manchester, from the city centre and the Northern Quarter 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.
How do I know if my drinking is a real problem?
If alcohol is affecting your sleep, mood, work or relationships, or you've tried to cut down and struggled, that's reason enough to talk. You don't need to hit a crisis first. We can look at it together, honestly and without pressure, from wherever you are in Manchester.
How do I start counselling for a drinking problem in Manchester?
You book a free 15-minute consultation, we talk over what is worrying you, and if it feels right we set a first session, usually within a week. It is all online from Hove, so wherever you are in Manchester, from Prestwich to Fallowfield, you can begin from home.
What are your fees for drinking problem counselling versus NHS help in Manchester?
Manchester's NHS alcohol services are free at the point of use but can involve a wait. With me there is a free 15-minute consultation, then GBP 80 for an hour, GBP 100 for 90 minutes and GBP 120 for two hours, with no hidden extras.
Is online as good as in person for a drinking problem in Manchester, and can it be evenings?
Many people find home the easier place to be honest about drinking, and online keeps that comfort. I do not have a Manchester room, only Hove, so it is video or phone either way. Evenings are usually available, which helps when the working day is full.
Do you offer counselling in person in Manchester?
No. I'm based in Hove on the south coast, so all my work with people in Manchester is online, by video or phone. If you'd prefer to sit with someone in the room, the city has many local counsellors and NHS Talking Therapies; otherwise online lets us meet wherever you are.
Can we meet around shift or student hours?
Yes. Working online makes evenings and quieter daytime slots easier to arrange, which helps if you're a student on Oxford Road or working shifts across the city. We'd settle on a regular time that suits you and keep it consistent from week to week.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Manchester, 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: Bolton, Stockport, Oldham. See all of North West.
All counselling & therapy in Manchester: 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.