Daily or binge drinking
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Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Stoke-on-Trent
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Stoke-on-Trent
Online counselling for drinking problems for Stoke-on-Trent, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Stoke-on-Trent, from across the six towns, Hanley and Stoke to the streets around the bottle kilns, 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 Stoke-on-Trent
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Stoke-on-Trent, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Stoke-on-Trent: across the six towns, from Hanley and Stoke to Burslem, Tunstall, Longton and Fenton
- Known for
- The bottle kilns, the Potteries and the canals
- Region
- Midlands (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 Stoke-on-Trent
Why people in Stoke-on-Trent get in touch
Drink here is woven into the ordinary. A few after a shift, a big night before a game at the bet365 Stadium, cans in front of the telly because the week was long and there is not much spare for anything else. It is sociable, it is cheap and it is entirely unremarkable, which is exactly what makes it easy to lose track of. The people who get in touch are not usually the ones anybody points at. They work, they turn up, they keep a household running in Meir or Bucknall. What has shifted is that the drink now runs the evening instead of joining it, and a week off has quietly become unthinkable.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Stoke-on-Trent
HanleyBurslemTunstallLongtonFentonStokeMeirBentileeTrenthamBucknall
Wherever you are in Stoke-on-Trent, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Stoke-on-Trent
Official figures for Stoke-on-Trent, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 805.2 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 29 per 100,000 in 2024, above the England average of 13.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Alcohol-specific mortality (2024).
Reviewed June 2026.
What would we do together 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.
The method travels; only the geography changes. the counselling for drinking problems page explains it properly, how I work, sessions and fees answers the practical questions, and my BACP registration shows how the practice is held to account.
How do online sessions actually work?
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.
This is online work, since Bradley is in Hove and there is no room in the city. With drinking, the barrier is usually being seen, and a video appointment removes it: no doorway, no reception, nobody to nod at on the way back out. The hour goes wherever it fits, after the school run, before a late shift, or once the house has gone to bed. There is no fare and no petrol on top of the fee either.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What does counselling for drinking problems help with?
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 Stoke-on-Trent
Why people in Stoke-on-Trent come for counselling for drinking problems
Two things simply do not apply here. You do not have to be ready to give up alcohol, and you do not have to have lost a job, a licence or a marriage first. The belief that you must fall far enough before you deserve help has kept an enormous number of people drinking for years longer than they needed to. Where we begin is duller and far more useful: what the first drink of the day is for, what it makes tolerable, and what would have to take its place. The local figures are hard reading and worth knowing. Admissions for alcohol-specific conditions ran at 805.2 per 100,000 in 2023/24 against an England average of 611.7, and the alcohol-specific death rate was 29 per 100,000 in 2024, more than double the England average of 13.8. If you drink heavily every day, see your GP or contact CDAS before changing the amount.
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 Stoke-on-Trent
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 “Stoke-on-Trent”).
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.
Stoke-on-Trent questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Stoke-on-Trent: common questions
Do I have to be ready to quit before I get in touch?
No. A great many people begin while they are still drinking daily and still unsure what they want to happen next. Being undecided is a normal starting position rather than a reason to wait. Early sessions are about understanding the drinking, not committing to a target for it.
How much does it cost, and when do I pay?
An hour is £80, and payment happens per session rather than up front. If you want longer, 90 minutes is £100 and two hours is £120. The first 15-minute conversation costs nothing, and there is nothing owed if you decide afterwards that it is not right for you.
Is CDAS free, and what does it actually cover?
It is free at the point of use. CDAS is the community drug and alcohol service for this city, listed through the NHS find a service directory, and it covers assessment, structured treatment and anything that needs medication or medical supervision. Your GP can help you get in touch with them.
Is an online hour enough when the drinking is every single day?
It is often the thing that holds a week together, but it is not the whole answer where drinking is daily and heavy. Medical support belongs alongside it, through your GP or CDAS. The counselling then does what it is actually good at, which is working out what the drink has been carrying.
The figures for this city look frightening. Does that mean it is too late for me?
No. Rates describe a population rather than a person, and they include everybody who never got any help at all. Knowing that the alcohol-specific death rate here reached 29 per 100,000 in 2024 is an argument for asking earlier, not evidence that asking now is pointless.
What if I feel ashamed about my drinking?
That feeling is common and there is no judgement here. Counselling is a space to talk honestly with someone who will not shame you, and meeting online from home can make it easier to be open. Shame often eases once things are said out loud.
How soon can I get help for a drinking problem in Stoke-on-Trent?
Soon. Help for a drinking problem is offered online across Stoke-on-Trent from the Hove room, so there is no queue to join. A free 15-minute consultation lets us talk quietly first, and a full session usually follows within the same week.
What are the fees for drinking problem counselling, and how does NHS alcohol help in Stoke-on-Trent compare?
Private sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for two hours, after a free 15-minute consultation. Stoke's NHS alcohol services are free but can carry a wait, while private counselling begins more quickly and at hours that suit you.
Would drinking problem counselling be in person, and are evenings available for Stoke-on-Trent?
It is online, since the room is in Hove and Stoke is served by video, so nobody sees you at a clinic. Evening appointments can often be arranged, helpful when drinking has grown alongside hardship or a long-held sense of being overlooked.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Stoke-on-Trent, 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: Derby, Telford, Tamworth. See all of Midlands.
Related work in Stoke-on-Trent: addiction counselling, substance use counselling and depression counselling.
Some further reading, if that helps before getting in touch: why practice makes permanent and questioning “once an addict”.
If you can reach the south coast, this work is also done face to face in Brighton — all in-person areas are listed here.