Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Substance Use Counselling · Lewes
Substance Use Counselling in Lewes
Substance Use Counselling for Lewes and the surrounding area, in person or online. Lewes, the historic county town of East Sussex, is famous for its castle, steep twittens, Harveys Brewery and Bonfire night. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Lewes
Substance Use Counselling for Lewes, at a glance
- Known for
- Lewes Castle, the Harveys Brewery and the South Downs Way
- Area
- Lewes & Mid Sussex, East/West Sussex
- Getting to the Hove room
- From Lewes the office is around twenty minutes by car on the A27, or a short direct train to Brighton and on to Hove.
- Local NHS / support route
- East Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support
- Format
- In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.
Life in Lewes
Why do people in Lewes reach out?
A handsome county town is not where anyone expects drug use, and that expectation is doing a great deal of hiding. Around The Wallands and Landport, and in flats off Cliffe High Street, there are people who smoke every night to sleep, who take something to manage the pace of work, and whose weekend use has crept into the middle of the week. It is bought discreetly and used indoors, and nobody would guess from the outside. In a town where reputation travels quickly, that discretion feels essential. The cost is that you have never had a straight conversation about it with anyone, and the only person assessing how much and how often is you.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Lewes
Cliffe High StreetSchool HillKeere StreetSouthoverThe WallandsLandportNevillSt Anne's
Wherever you are in Lewes, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Lewes
Official figures for Lewes, for context rather than as a description of you.
3.6 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).
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).
Reviewed June 2026.
What actually happens in substance use counselling?
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.
Rather than say the same thing on every page, the substance lives on everything on substance use counselling, with how I work, sessions and fees for the practical questions and qualifications, registration and ethics for registration and ethics.
What happens in a session?
Sessions take place in a private, comfortable room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove, held to the strict BACP confidentiality you would expect. We begin with a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, and the same sessions are available by secure video if travelling is difficult or you would simply prefer it.
It is around twenty minutes by road on the A27, or a train to Brighton and on to Hove, and there is no requirement to be clean before you arrive. Nothing is tested, nothing is passed to a local service and nobody in the town is told. Where being away would raise questions, or the day has been hard, secure video sessions run at the same times.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What can substance use counselling in Lewes help with?
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 Lewes
Why people in Lewes come for substance use counselling
This work is specifically about drugs and it starts without conditions. Cannabis nightly, cocaine socially, ketamine, stimulants used to keep up, or prescribed medication that has drifted beyond its purpose: it can all be described plainly, and you will not be asked to promise anything in order to be seen. What gets attention is what the substance does. Sleep, pressure, physical pain, social discomfort and older memories are the usual candidates, and each responds better to being worked on than to being overridden. Around 3.6 adults per 1,000 across the county were in specialist drug-misuse treatment in 2020/21, below the England average of 4.5 per 1,000. That is a modest figure for a county this size, and it says more about how privately people manage than about how many are affected. East Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support and STAR cover prescribing and structured care, free of charge.
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 Lewes
My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Lewes, free local drug and alcohol support is available through East Sussex County 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.
If you drink heavily or use drugs daily, do not stop suddenly on your own. Withdrawal can cause seizures and can be dangerous. Speak to your GP or a local drug and alcohol service first, and they can arrange a safe, medically supported withdrawal. Counselling works alongside that, not instead of it.
Lewes questions
Substance Use Counselling in Lewes: common questions
Where do Lewes sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?
In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Lewes the office is around twenty minutes by car on the A27, or a short direct train to Brighton and on to Hove. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Lewes or blend the two.
Do I need to have decided to stop before I get in touch?
You do not. Deciding is usually something that emerges from the work rather than a prerequisite for it. Sessions are just as useful while use continues, and a decision made under pressure early on tends not to survive the first difficult week.
Could this get back to my employer or my family?
No. Nothing is reported to an employer, a family member or a local agency, and nothing joins your GP record without your agreement. Confidentiality has narrow limits concerning serious risk to life, and those are set out clearly before you begin.
What if my use started with a prescription?
That is common and it is not treated as a lesser problem. Medication given for a real reason can gradually take on a different role, which is confusing and often carries a lot of shame. Working out how that happened is usually more useful than blaming yourself.
Is STAR worth using as well?
Often, yes. STAR, the East Sussex Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, is free and reached through East Sussex County Council's drug and alcohol support, and it provides medical assessment and structured treatment. Counselling handles the psychological side and the two work well together.
How much will this cost me?
Nothing for the opening 15-minute consultation, which can happen by phone. Regular sessions are £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min and £120 / 120 min, paid individually. There is no minimum number of appointments and no notice required if you stop.
Will this stay private in a close town like Lewes?
Completely. Sessions are held in Hove away from Lewes, and online is an option too. Nothing is shared with anyone without your consent, under the BACP framework.
How quick is the trip from Lewes to Hove for substance use counselling?
Lewes has fast, frequent trains to Brighton in around fifteen minutes, where you continue a couple of stops to Hove; by car the A27 takes about twenty minutes. Start with a free fifteen-minute call on 07914 681995 or through the contact page.
Free or paid for substance use support in Lewes?
Both. In East Sussex you can self-refer to Change Grow Live for free substance help with no GP needed. Privately, fees are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours after a free call, and the two can run side by side.
Do you offer evening or online substance use sessions for Lewes?
Yes. A quick train or A27 drive brings you to the Hove room, with evening appointments to fit around work, but secure video is there for weeks when crossing the Downs is inconvenient. You can move between in-person and online freely.
Substance Use Counselling in Lewes, 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 nearby: Newhaven, Ditchling, Brighton. See all areas I cover.
People who come for substance use counselling in Lewes often also look at addiction counselling, counselling for drinking problems and anxiety counselling.
Some further reading, if that helps before getting in touch: three ways to handle a craving and calming a craving as it rises.
Prefer to meet remotely? The same substance use counselling is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.