Daily or binge drinking
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Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Torquay
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Torquay
Online counselling for drinking problems for Torquay, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Torquay, from the harbour and seafront to the streets around the English Riviera, 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 Torquay
Counselling for Drinking Problems for Torquay, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Torquay: from the harbour and seafront to Babbacombe, St Marychurch and Chelston
- Known for
- The harbour, the seafront and the English Riviera
- Region
- South 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 Torquay
Why people in Torquay reach out
Torquay is the heart of the English Riviera, but behind the palm trees the bay carries seasonal, insecure work and some of the sharpest deprivation in the South West. When the summer crowds leave, the quiet months can feel long, and good local support is not always close at hand.
Torquay lives by its seasons. Through the summer the harbour, the marina and the beaches at Babbacombe fill with visitors, and the hotels and cafes along the front take on staff to match. When autumn comes the crowds thin, the seasonal contracts end, and the bay settles into long quiet months. Away from the palm-lined seafront, neighbourhoods such as Ellacombe and Watcombe carry real hardship, and Torbay Hospital serves an older-than-average population strung along the coast. The town's Agatha Christie heritage and Riviera charm draw people to visit and to retire, yet that same transience can leave others feeling adrift. When the winter feels long, a steady, confidential conversation can be an anchor.
A seaside town can feel cut off once the season ends and the front goes quiet, so online support that does not depend on who happens to practise nearby matters here.
Torquay is the principal resort of the English Riviera on Tor Bay and the birthplace of Agatha Christie; Torbay Hospital (Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust) serves the area.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Torquay
BabbacombeSt MarychurchChelstonEllacombeWellswoodCockingtonShiphayTorreWatcombe
Wherever you are in Torquay, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Torquay
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Torquay are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 1041.6 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 13.7 per 100,000 in 2024, below 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.
Torquay sits on a branch line from Newton Abbot, with the A380 the main road in, and both can clog badly through the summer season. For a bay strung out along the coast, getting about is not always easy. Secure online sessions remove the journey completely, letting us meet from somewhere private at home. The room is in Hove, so Torquay is served online; in-person appointments are only practical for those able to reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling for drinking problems in Torquay 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 Torquay
Why people in Torquay come for counselling for drinking problems
In a resort like Torquay, where the summer is sociable and the winter can feel very long, drinking can quietly slide from part of the fun into the way you get through the quiet months. The gap between the bright seafront and a harder daily reality can make that hard to admit. Counselling offers an honest, confidential hour to look at your drinking without lectures. Sessions are by secure video, so there is no journey around the bay. The room is in Hove, so Torquay is served online, with in-person visits only for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
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 Torquay
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Torquay, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Torbay Council's drugs 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.
Torquay questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Torquay: common questions
Can I get online counselling for drinking problems if I live in Torquay?
Yes. I work with people right across Torquay, from the harbour and seafront outwards, and anywhere else in South 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.
When the season ends I drink more to fill the quiet. Can counselling help?
Yes. A steady, confidential conversation can hold through the long off-season and help you look at your drinking honestly. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The counselling room is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
How quickly can I get help for a drinking problem in Torquay?
Usually within days. We start with a free 15-minute consultation to see whether we are a good fit, then book your first full session. It is all online, so you can begin from anywhere in Torquay, from Torre to Watcombe, without joining a local waiting list.
What will drinking problem counselling cost, and is NHS help available in Torquay?
My fees are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, after a free 15-minute consultation. NHS alcohol support in Torquay, through your GP or Torbay Hospital, is free but can mean a wait, whereas private online sessions with me are paced around you.
Is online drinking problem counselling private, and can we meet in the evening in Torquay?
Yes. Online sessions are discreet, and you speak from home rather than a clinic anywhere in Torquay, including Babbacombe or St Marychurch. I offer some evening slots for after work. My only in-person room is in Hove, so face-to-face suits those able to travel to the Sussex coast.
My work in Torquay is seasonal and my hours change. Can counselling fit around that?
Yes. Online sessions can be arranged around shifting hospitality and tourism hours, and continued through the quieter winter months when the crowds have gone. We meet by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove, so Torquay is served online rather than in person.
The bay can feel isolating, especially in winter. Can regular sessions help with that?
They can. A steady, confidential conversation offers a fixed point through the long off-season, whatever else is changing around you. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Torquay, 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 South West: Exeter, Plymouth. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Torquay: 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.