Daily or binge drinking
Support whatever your pattern looks like.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Chester
Online counselling for drinking problems for Chester, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Chester — from the Rows and the walls to the streets around the river Dee — with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.
In and around Chester
Life in Chester
Chester's Roman walls and prosperous image draw visitors all year, but the polished surface can make personal struggle feel out of place, and the city holds real contrasts of wealth and hardship. The pressure to keep up appearances in a smart, sociable city can leave people slow to reach out.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Chester is home to the University of Chester, the Countess of Chester Hospital, and Chester Zoo, one of the UK's most visited attractions and a major local employer.
The local picture
These figures are local context from official sources — not a description of you — but they show the scale of what people in and around Chester are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 655.5 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above the England average of 611.7 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Admission episodes for alcohol-specific conditions (2023/24).
the alcohol-specific death rate was 11.8 per 100,000 in 2024, below the England average of 13.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Alcohol-specific mortality (2024).
Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.
Counselling for drinking problems here looks beneath the habit at what drives it — you do not need to have hit rock bottom to begin — and signposts medical, detox and peer support where useful.
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 counselling for drinking problems page and on how I 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.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
Support whatever your pattern looks like.
Looking beneath the drinking to what drives it.
Working with what the alcohol has been managing.
Sensitive support without anyone needing to know.
Links to medical, detox and peer support where useful.
Reconnecting with the person beneath the drinking.
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Chester, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Cheshire West and Chester Council's drug and alcohol services.
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:
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.
Chester questions
Yes. I work with people right across Chester, from the Rows and the walls 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.
No, and you do not need to have hit rock bottom. We look at the role drinking plays and find a steadier way forward at your pace.
For many people moderation is a valid goal, and we will be honest together about what is realistic for you.
Relapse is part of many people's recovery, not a failure. We learn from it rather than start the count again from zero.
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: Warrington, Liverpool, Crewe. See all of North West.
Other online support from Chester: Addiction, Substance Use, Anxiety, Depression, Relationship, Trauma.