Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Bristol
Online Substance Use Counselling in Bristol
Online substance use counselling for Bristol, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Bristol, from the harbourside and the centre to the streets around the Suspension Bridge, 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 Bristol
Substance Use Counselling for Bristol, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Bristol: from the harbourside and the centre to Clifton, Bedminster, Stokes Croft and Easton
- Known for
- The Suspension Bridge, the harbourside and the Downs
- 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 Bristol
Why people in Bristol reach out
Bristol is the creative, independent capital of the South West, but its energy comes with sharp housing costs and a widening gap between its prosperous and its struggling neighbourhoods. The pace of a fast-growing city, long hours in its tech and creative industries, and the sheer cost of affording to live here can quietly wear people down.
Bristol keeps a lot of plates spinning. Mornings on Gloucester Road, one of the longest runs of independent shops in the country, give way to the offices around Temple Quay and the aerospace works up at Filton, where much of the city's engineering still turns. Students from the university and UWE fill the terraces of Redland and Stokes Croft, while families in Bedminster and Easton juggle rising rents against wages that rarely keep pace. Between the harbourside studios, the music nights and the ferry crossing the Floating Harbour, it is a city that prizes doing things its own way. That same independence can make it hard to say when you are struggling, and a quiet, confidential hour can be a real relief.
With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.
Bristol is home to the University of Bristol and UWE Bristol, with acute hospitals run by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (Bristol Royal Infirmary) and North Bristol NHS Trust (Southmead Hospital). Major employers include the aerospace cluster at Filton (Airbus and Rolls-Royce).
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Bristol
CliftonBedminsterStokes CroftEastonBishopstonSouthvilleRedlandMontpelierFishpondsKnowleHorfieldSt Pauls
Wherever you are in Bristol, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Bristol
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Bristol are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 10.3 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).
7.8 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.
Bristol moves people by rail from Temple Meads, by the MetroBus routes that thread across the city, and along the M4 and M5 that ring it. Even so, cross-city traffic and parking can turn a short trip into a long one. Secure online sessions remove that entirely, letting us meet from wherever you feel private. The consulting room itself is in Hove, so Bristol is served online; in-person appointments only suit those able to travel to the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Bristol 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 Bristol
Why people in Bristol come for substance use counselling
Around Bristol's music nights and creative scene, substances can slip from something occasional into something that quietly shapes the week. Students in Redland, workers unwinding after long shifts, anyone leaning on something to keep going, the pattern can be hard to name in a city that wears its hedonism lightly. Counselling offers a calm, non-judgemental space to understand what a substance is doing for you and what it is costing. We meet by secure video; the room is in Hove, so Bristol is served online, with in-person appointments only for those able to travel to 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 Bristol
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Bristol, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Bristol City 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.
Bristol questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Bristol: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Bristol?
Yes. I work with people right across Bristol, from the harbourside and the centre 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.
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.
I'm a student in Bristol worried about my drug use. Is online counselling suitable?
It often is. Many students find secure video sessions easier to fit around lectures and can take them privately from halls or a shared house. We meet online wherever you are in the city; the counselling room itself is in Hove.
Can I begin substance use counselling online in Bristol this week?
Often yes. After a short message we set up a free 15-minute call, then arrange your first session, frequently within the same week. Because we meet online, you can talk from home anywhere in Bristol, whether that is Stokes Croft, Easton or Bishopston, with no waiting list to join.
How much does private substance use counselling cost compared with NHS options in Bristol?
I charge £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, and the initial 15-minute consultation is free. NHS drug services and GP referrals in Bristol are free of charge but often have waits, while private sessions can start quickly and stay flexible around you.
Do you offer evening online sessions for substance use counselling in Bristol?
I hold some appointments later in the day, which helps if you work shifts or long hours around Bristol. Sessions are online, so you join from wherever feels private, from Southville to Redland. In-person work is only at my Hove room, for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
I'm a student at the University of Bristol or UWE. Can we still work together?
Yes. Many students find online sessions easier to fit around lectures and can take them from a room in halls or a shared house without crossing the city. The counselling room is in Hove, so we would meet by secure video wherever you are in Bristol.
Does shift work at Filton or on the harbourside make counselling hard to arrange?
Not really. Because sessions are held online, they can be booked around irregular hours in the aerospace works or the creative studios, without tying you to a fixed commute. We meet by video; the room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Bristol, 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: Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Gloucester. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Bristol: 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.