Daily or binge drinking
Support whatever your pattern looks like.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Stockport
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Stockport
Online counselling for drinking problems for Stockport, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Stockport, from the centre and the old town to the streets around the viaduct, 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 Stockport
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Stockport, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Stockport: from the centre and the old town to Heaton Moor, Reddish, Bramhall and Cheadle
- Known for
- The viaduct, the hat works and the river Mersey
- Region
- North West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS drug & alcohol service finder (see below)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Stockport
Why do people in Stockport reach out?
Stockport drinks well and quietly. The old town has its bars, the suburbs have their wine, and a commuter's evening often begins with something to mark the end of the travelling. Nothing about that is unusual and very little of it is discussed. The borough's alcohol admissions and death rate both sit below the national ones, which makes it easy to assume the town is fine. Meanwhile, in Bramhall, Cheadle or Hazel Grove, a bottle a night can go entirely unremarked for years, because it looks like taste, because it happens at home, and because nobody wants to be the one who mentions it.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Stockport
the town centre and old townHeaton MoorReddishBramhallCheadleCheadle HulmeMarpleEdgeleyHazel Grove
Wherever you are in Stockport, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Stockport
Official figures for Stockport, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 847.6 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 13.5 per 100,000 in 2024, below the England average of 13.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Alcohol-specific mortality (2024).
Reviewed June 2026.
What actually happens in counselling for drinking problems?
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.
What actually happens in the room is the same everywhere, so it is written up once: see the main counselling for drinking problems page for the methods, the practical side for fees and session lengths, and how to check my registration if you want to check who you would be working with.
What do I need for an online session?
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link, held to the same BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call, you join from any private space on a phone, tablet or laptop.
Bradley works from Hove and there is no room in Stockport, so this is video work at a time you choose. For drinking, the absence of a journey matters in both directions, and an evening session does not have to be arranged around who is driving. Morning slots are often the most useful, because the previous night is still close enough to describe honestly. Nothing about the arrangement is visible in the borough.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What sort of things do people bring?
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 Stockport
Why people in Stockport come for counselling for drinking problems
There is no requirement here to have hit a crisis or to want to stop for good. Stockport's alcohol-related hospital admissions were 467.8 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 504.1 per 100,000, and the alcohol-specific death rate was 13.5 per 100,000 in 2024, just under the England average of 13.8 per 100,000. Reassuring figures, and yet hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions in the borough are far higher than the national rate, which is exactly the pattern of a place where a lot of serious drinking is happening behind respectable doors. The aim can be stopping, drinking less, or working out what the evening drink is really for. Mosaic and the NHS 'find a service' directory cover the medical side, and a GP should be involved before any change to a heavy daily habit.
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 Stockport
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 “Stockport”).
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.
If you drink heavily or use drugs daily, do not stop suddenly on your own. Withdrawal can cause seizures and can be dangerous. Speak to your GP or a local drug and alcohol service first, and they can arrange a safe, medically supported withdrawal. Counselling works alongside that, not instead of it.
Stockport questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Stockport: common questions
I drink on the train home and again when I get in. Is the commute part of the problem?
Very often it is. A long journey creates a reliable gap that alcohol fills neatly, and the arrival home then has its own ritual attached. Looking at the shape of the day, rather than at the drinking alone, tends to be the more useful starting point for commuters.
Do I have to stop to make this worthwhile?
No. A great deal of useful work happens with people who are still drinking and have not decided what they want. Reduction, planned breaks and simply seeing the pattern clearly are all real outcomes. If you drink heavily every day, a GP should be involved before you change the quantity.
Where does the NHS fit if I want more support?
The NHS 'find a service' directory lists drug and alcohol services by area, and for Stockport that means Mosaic. It handles assessment, prescribing and structured treatment, including for alcohol. Counselling can carry on alongside, and there is no need to complete one before starting the other.
What is the fee and is there anything to pay before I decide?
Nothing before you decide. The first 15-minute consultation is at no cost, and only then do fees apply: £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min or £120 / 120 min. Each is paid around the session itself, so there is no upfront outlay and nothing to cancel.
My partner drinks the same as me. Does that make it harder?
It can, because the household routine supports the habit and changing it affects someone else. That does not make it impossible, but it does make it worth planning. Work often begins with what you can change on your own, without requiring anyone else to agree first.
I only really drink in the evenings. Can that still be a problem?
It can. It's not about when or what you drink but the effect it's having and whether you can take it or leave it. If evening drinking has become something you rely on, or hard to stop, that's worth exploring together, wherever you are in Stockport.
How do I begin counselling for a drinking problem in Stockport?
Book a free 15-minute consultation, we talk through what is happening, and if it feels right we set a first session, usually within a week. It runs online from Hove, so wherever you are in Stockport, from Edgeley to Marple, you can start from home.
What will drinking problem counselling cost compared with the NHS in Stockport?
Stockport's NHS alcohol support is free but can involve a wait. With me you get a free 15-minute consultation, then £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120 minutes, with nothing hidden in the fee.
Is online counselling for drinking as good as meeting in Stockport, and are evenings possible?
For many, home is the easier place to be honest about drinking, and online keeps that comfort. There is no Stockport room, only Hove, so it is video or phone. Evenings suit commuters well and are usually available around the working day.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Stockport, 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: Manchester, Oldham. See all of North West.
People who come for counselling for drinking problems in Stockport often also look at addiction counselling, substance use counselling and depression counselling.
Some further reading, if that helps before getting in touch: riding out an urge and why practice makes permanent.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same counselling for drinking problems is available in person, in Hove, where the room is, or see every area I cover.