Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Blackpool
Online Substance Use Counselling in Blackpool
Online substance use counselling for Blackpool, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Blackpool, from the Golden Mile and the Tower to the streets around the Pleasure Beach, 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 Blackpool
Substance Use Counselling for Blackpool, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Blackpool: from the Golden Mile and the Tower to Bispham, Marton and Layton
- Known for
- The Tower, the Pleasure Beach and the illuminations
- 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 Blackpool
Why people in Blackpool reach out
Blackpool is Britain's best-known seaside resort and also home to some of the most acute deprivation in the country. Seasonal and insecure work, transient housing and the long quiet winters once the crowds have gone leave real and lasting strain, and good support is badly stretched.
Blackpool is a place of bright lights and long memories. The Tower still stands over the Golden Mile, the trams run up the front to Bispham and Cleveleys, and the Illuminations draw the crowds long after other resorts have shut for the year. Behind the seafront, ordinary neighbourhoods like Marton, Layton and Grange Park get on with life away from the visitors. The Pleasure Beach and the Winter Gardens hold generations of family history, and there's a real fondness and resilience in the town. When the season ends and the promenade quietens, though, the winter can feel long, and it isn't always easy to find someone to talk things through with.
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.
Blackpool's economy centres on seaside tourism, including the Blackpool Tower and the Pleasure Beach, and its main hospital is Blackpool Victoria Hospital. The town has among the most acute deprivation in England.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Blackpool
the seafront and town centreBisphamMartonLaytonSouth ShoreNorth ShoreGrange ParkSquires Gate
Wherever you are in Blackpool, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Blackpool
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Blackpool are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 21.3 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, above the England average of 5.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Deaths from drug misuse (2022 - 24).
11.4 adults per 1,000 were in treatment at specialist drug-misuse services in 2020/21, above the England average of 4.5 per 1,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Adults in treatment at specialist drug misuse services (2020/21).
Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.
The substance use counselling itself
Substance use counselling here is non-judgemental and one-to-one, working with the pain, fear or loneliness the substance has been managing, at a pace that protects your sense of safety.
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 substance use counselling 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 work online from Hove, seeing people across Blackpool and the Fylde coast by secure video or phone. That means the session reaches you wherever you are, in South Shore, Bispham or over towards Cleveleys, with nothing to arrange but a quiet hour. For many, speaking from home feels more natural than sitting in a waiting room. We'd find a regular time that suits your week, whatever your hours, and keep it steady.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Blackpool can help
The false self
Letting go of the protective self that no longer serves you.
Specialised attention
One-to-one sessions shaped entirely around you.
Self-discovery
Rediscovering the authentic self beneath the coping.
Anxiety and low mood
Treating what the substance has been masking.
Sustainable change
Growing into recovery rather than forcing it.
Substance Use Counselling in Blackpool
Why people in Blackpool come for substance use counselling
The seasonal seafront economy means work in Blackpool can be here one month and gone the next, and that insecurity, along with the quiet winters, can make substances feel like a way to fill the gap. I'm Bradley Riddell, a Hove-based counsellor working with people across Blackpool online. We talk honestly about what you're using and why, without judgement, and work out what would actually help. Sessions are by secure video or phone from Marton, Layton or wherever you're staying, which matters when housing feels unsettled and getting to an appointment isn't always straightforward.
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 Blackpool
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Blackpool, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Blackpool Council's drugs support (Healthier Blackpool).
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.
Blackpool questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Blackpool: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Blackpool?
Yes. I work with people right across Blackpool, from the Golden Mile and the Tower 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.
Can I get support while I'm still using?
Yes. This is non-judgemental, one-to-one work that meets you where you are, and it can run alongside any medical or detox support you have.
How is this different from a group or 12-step programme?
It is individual and shaped entirely around you. Some people use it instead of groups, others alongside them.
Will you tell my GP or employer?
No. What you share is confidential within the BACP framework; nothing goes to anyone else without your consent.
My housing situation isn't stable. Can I still have sessions?
Yes. All you need is a private spot and a phone or internet connection. We can work by phone if video isn't practical, and if things shift we adjust the arrangements together. Unsettled housing shouldn't stop you getting support, and it doesn't have to.
How quickly can substance use counselling start online in Blackpool?
Usually within a week of a free 15-minute consultation, once we have checked we are a good fit. Everything runs online from my Hove base, so whether you are in Marton, Layton or over towards Cleveleys, there is nothing to travel to.
Is substance use counselling free on the NHS in Blackpool, or do you charge?
The Fylde coast has free NHS drug and alcohol services, which can carry a wait. I am independent, with clear fees: a free 15-minute consultation, then GBP 80 for an hour, GBP 100 for 90 minutes and GBP 120 for two hours.
Can we meet online in the evening rather than a Blackpool clinic?
Yes. I have no Blackpool premises; I work from Hove online. Evening sessions are usually available, and because seasonal work moves the hours around, we can adjust when the calendar demands it so support stays steady through the quieter winter months.
Does online counselling work if my hours change with the season?
Yes. Because we meet online, we can move sessions to fit shifting shifts and seasonal work more easily than a fixed clinic appointment allows. We'd aim for a steady weekly time where we can, and adjust when the calendar demands it, so support stays there through the quieter months too.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Blackpool, 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: Preston, Lancaster. See all of North West.
All counselling & therapy in Blackpool: Addiction · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same substance use counselling is available in person in Brighton & Hove, or see all in-person areas.