Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Lancaster
Online Substance Use Counselling in Lancaster
Online substance use counselling for Lancaster, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Lancaster, from the city centre and the castle to the streets around the Ashton Memorial, 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 Lancaster
Substance Use Counselling for Lancaster, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Lancaster: from the city centre and the castle to Bowerham, Scotforth and nearby Morecambe
- Known for
- The castle, the Ashton Memorial and the river Lune
- 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 Lancaster
Why people in Lancaster reach out
Lancaster is a historic city with two universities set in the rural north of Lancashire, near the coast and the Lakes. A large student population, the distance from bigger centres and low rural wages all shape the pressures people carry here.
Lancaster keeps watch from its hill, the castle and priory above the city and the Ashton Memorial's great dome rising over Williamson Park. The Lune runs through, once a busy port, and the Georgian streets recall that trading past. Two universities give the city its student energy, and the covered market and independent shops keep the centre lively. Morecambe and its bay lie just to the west, the Forest of Bowland and the Lakes not far off. Neighbourhoods like Bowerham, Scotforth and Skerton have their own feel. It's a small, characterful city set in the rural north of the county, and being some distance from bigger centres can make good support feel further away than it should.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Lancaster hosts Lancaster University and a campus of the University of Cumbria, and is served by the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FT).
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Lancaster
the city centreBowerhamScotforthSkertonMarshFreeholdHaltonnearby Morecambe
Wherever you are in Lancaster, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Lancaster
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Lancaster are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 4.9 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, below the England average of 5.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Deaths from drug misuse (2022 - 24).
4.7 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'm based in Hove and work with people in Lancaster online, by video or phone. Wherever you are, in Bowerham, Scotforth, Skerton or over towards Morecambe, the session comes to you, with no travel and no waiting room. In a part of the country where support can mean a long drive, meeting online brings it to your own front room. We'd settle on a regular time that fits your week and keep to it.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Lancaster 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 Lancaster
Why people in Lancaster come for substance use counselling
Between the large student population and the pressures of low rural wages, substances can find a foothold in Lancaster, whether as part of the university scene or a way of coping with a quiet, stretched life. I'm Bradley Riddell, a Hove-based counsellor working with people across Lancaster online. We look honestly at what you're using, what it does for you and what it costs, without judgement or labels. Sessions are by secure video or phone from Skerton, the Marsh, Halton or wherever you feel safe, so support reaches you without a trek to a distant service.
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 Lancaster
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Lancaster, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Lancashire County Council's alcohol and 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.
Lancaster questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Lancaster: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Lancaster?
Yes. I work with people right across Lancaster, from the city centre and the castle 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.
I'm a student here. Is this different from the uni counselling service?
It can be. University services are valuable but sometimes limited or stretched, and some students prefer support that's entirely separate from campus. I work independently and privately, online, so you can talk about substance use without it touching your studies or student life in Lancaster.
How quickly can I begin substance use counselling in Lancaster?
Quickly. After a free 15-minute consultation to check we suit each other, we would usually hold your first session within a week. It runs online from my Hove base, so whether you are in Scotforth, Skerton, Marsh or Halton, there is nothing to travel to.
Is substance use counselling cheaper on the NHS in Lancaster than privately?
Lancaster's NHS drug and alcohol services are free, though they can carry a wait. My fees are fixed and clear: a free 15-minute consultation, then GBP 80 for an hour, GBP 100 for 90 minutes and GBP 120 for two hours.
I am a student here; can substance use sessions fit around term, online in the evening?
Yes. Being away at university brings its own pressures, and online sessions fit around lectures and deadlines. We can continue over the holidays too, wherever you are. My room is in Hove; sessions are by video or phone, with evenings usually available.
I'm a student here, can you fit around term and study?
Yes. Being away from home at university brings its own pressures, and I work with students often. Online sessions make it easier to arrange around lectures, deadlines and the rhythm of term, and we can continue over the holidays too, wherever you happen to be, so support doesn't stop and start.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Lancaster, 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, Blackpool, Carlisle. See all of North West.
All counselling & therapy in Lancaster: 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.