Daily or binge drinking
Support whatever your pattern looks like.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Reading
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Reading
Online counselling for drinking problems for Reading, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Reading, from the centre and the university quarter to the streets around the Thames, 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 Reading
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Reading, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Reading: from the centre and the university quarter to Caversham, Tilehurst and Earley
- Known for
- The Thames, the Oracle and the Kennet
- Region
- London & South East (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 Reading
Why people in Reading reach out
Reading sits at the heart of the Thames Valley tech corridor, and with that comes a particular kind of pressure: demanding jobs, a long daily commute into London or along the M4, and a cost of living that keeps the foot on the accelerator. It is easy here for the days to blur together and for stress to harden quietly into something heavier.
Reading runs on the Thames Valley's technology and business economy, with campuses and offices around Green Park and the town centre and a steady tide of people heading for the University of Reading or the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The Elizabeth line and the main line into Paddington make it a place people commute from as much as live in, and the Oracle, the Kennet and the riverside at Caversham fill up whenever there is a moment to breathe. Between demanding project deadlines, a packed daily journey and the cost of a Berkshire postcode, the weeks can slide by on autopilot. When the pace never really eases, a confidential space to slow down and take stock can matter a great deal.
With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.
Reading is a Thames Valley tech and commercial hub - Microsoft's UK headquarters is at Thames Valley Park - and home to the University of Reading and the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Reading
CavershamTilehurstEarleyLower EarleyWoodleyWhitleySouthcoteColeyEmmer Green
Wherever you are in Reading, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Reading
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Reading are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 445.8 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 25.5 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.
Reading is built for the commute, with fast trains into Paddington and the motorway running west, so most people here already spend enough of their week in transit. Working online removes one more journey: you join securely from home or the office, with nothing to travel to. The practice room is in Hove, reachable by train down to the Sussex coast if you would prefer an in-person session, but for Reading the sessions are held online.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling for drinking problems in Reading 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 Reading
Why people in Reading come for counselling for drinking problems
Reading has no shortage of places to drink, from the bars around the Oracle to a bottle unwound at home after the commute, and in the blur of demanding weeks it is easy to lose sight of how much that has grown. If your drinking has started to worry you, or the mornings are harder than they used to be, it helps to say so to someone impartial. Sessions are held securely online with a male counsellor whose practice is in Hove, so you can be straight about it from your own front room, with nothing to travel to and no one locally any the wiser.
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 Reading
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Reading, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Reading Borough Council's drug and alcohol 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.
Reading questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Reading: common questions
Can I get online counselling for drinking problems if I live in Reading?
Yes. I work with people right across Reading, from the centre and the university quarter outwards, and anywhere else in London & South East, 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 only really drink to relax after work. Is that worth talking about?
It can be. Drinking to unwind is where many problems quietly begin, especially after high-pressure days. If it has become the main way you switch off, or the amounts are creeping up, a confidential conversation can help you see the pattern clearly before it settles further.
How soon can I speak to someone about a drinking problem online in Reading?
Often within a week. The free 15-minute consultation lets us talk through your drinking before you commit, then we set a regular time. Working online removes the trip into town or along the M4, so you can start quietly from home wherever you are in Reading.
Can I get drinking problem counselling on the NHS locally in Reading?
Yes. Your GP can refer you and Berkshire's council-funded alcohol service takes self-referrals for free, with Drinkline offering confidential phone advice. If you would rather go private, sessions here are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, after a free consultation.
Can drinking counselling fit around a demanding Reading commute?
It can. Because everything is online, sessions sit in the evening or on a working-from-home day, with none of the travel that already fills a Thames Valley week. Many people find that easier to keep private than a local room. In-person meetings are possible in Hove if you prefer.
I commute into Paddington and get home late. When could sessions happen?
That is very common in Reading. With no room to travel to, sessions can be booked for the early evening once you are back from the office, or on days you work from home. We simply find a regular slot that survives the rhythm of the commute.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Reading, 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 London & South East: Slough, Oxford, Basingstoke, London. See all of London & South East.
All counselling & therapy in Reading: 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.