Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Lincoln
Online Substance Use Counselling in Lincoln
Online substance use counselling for Lincoln, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Lincoln, from the historic Bailgate and the cathedral to the streets around the castle, 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 Lincoln
Substance Use Counselling for Lincoln, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Lincoln: from the historic Bailgate and the cathedral to Ermine, St Giles and the city centre below the hill
- Known for
- The cathedral, the castle and Steep Hill
- Region
- Midlands (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 Lincoln
Why people in Lincoln reach out
Lincoln is a striking cathedral and university city set in a large, flat and largely rural county, and that rural isolation means specialist help can be a long way off. A growing student population, low rural wages and the distance from bigger centres all shape what people carry.
Lincoln is a striking city where a great medieval cathedral and castle crown Steep Hill, with the Bailgate above and the modern Brayford waterfront and University of Lincoln below. It is a place of contrasts, the historic 'uphill' and the busier 'downhill', set in a large, flat and largely rural county. Engineering runs deep here, from Lincoln's turbine works to the RAF stations that give Bomber County its name, and a growing student population has changed the feel of the centre. Rural isolation means specialist help can be a long drive off. When low wages, distance or loneliness press on someone, a confidential space to talk can bridge that gap.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Lincoln is home to the University of Lincoln and Lincoln County Hospital, and Siemens Energy manufactures industrial gas turbines in the city, a major local employer.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Lincoln
BailgateErmineSt GilesUphillBracebridgeBoulthamBirchwoodHartsholmeMonks RoadCarholme
Wherever you are in Lincoln, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Lincoln
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Lincoln are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 6.1 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).
3.8 adults per 1,000 were in treatment at specialist drug-misuse services in 2020/21, below 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.
Lincoln's railway links are steadier than fast, with services to Newark, Nottingham, Sheffield and a direct line to London taking a good while, and the surrounding county is spread out and rural, so many journeys are long ones by road. That is exactly where online counselling helps. The room is in Hove and Lincoln is served by video, so you can meet from a private space at home rather than travelling across the county for an appointment.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Lincoln 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 Lincoln
Why people in Lincoln come for substance use counselling
In a rural county where the nearest support can be a long way off, substances can become a private way to manage isolation, low wages or the quiet of village life, and it can be a while before anyone notices. What starts as occasional can gradually take up more room. Bradley Riddell offers a confidential, non-judgemental space to look at your substance use and what sits underneath it, at a pace that suits you. He works from Hove and sees Lincoln and the wider county online, so wherever you are, from the Bailgate to a village miles out, you meet by video from home rather than driving anywhere.
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 Lincoln
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Lincoln, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Connect to Support Lincolnshire (Lincolnshire County Council).
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.
Lincoln questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Lincoln: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Lincoln?
Yes. I work with people right across Lincoln, from the historic Bailgate and the cathedral outwards, and anywhere else in Midlands, 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.
Getting to appointments from rural Lincolnshire is hard, does online solve that?
Yes. Because sessions are by video, there is no journey at all, however far out you live. That removes the long drives that put many people off seeking help in a rural county. You need only a private space at home and a reliable connection.
How quickly can I begin substance use counselling in Lincoln?
Usually within a week. Substance use counselling for Lincoln is delivered online from Hove, so you avoid a local queue and a long journey. A free 15-minute consultation comes first, then your first session is booked when it works, wherever you are in the county.
What does substance use counselling cost against NHS drug services in Lincoln?
Fees are £80 an hour, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free 15-minute consultation first. Lincoln's NHS drug services are free but often stretched across a large rural county, whereas private sessions offer earlier appointments and the same counsellor each time.
Is substance use counselling online, and does that help out in the county around Lincoln?
Yes. The consulting room is in Hove and Lincoln is served by video, so distance stops mattering. Whether in the Bailgate or a village well away from the city, you meet from home with no long drive, and evening slots can often be arranged.
I live out in the county, well away from Lincoln, can you still help?
Yes. One of the advantages of online counselling is that distance stops mattering. Whether you are in the city or out in a village across Lincolnshire, you can meet by video from home, with no long drive in, just a private space and a connection.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Lincoln, 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: Nottingham, Peterborough. See all of Midlands.
All counselling & therapy in Lincoln: 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.