Addiction counselling at Feeling To Healing helps adults take back control from alcohol, drugs, gambling and other habits that have started to run their lives. Our qualified psychologists use evidence-based talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and relapse prevention, at our East London clinic or by secure video anywhere in the UK, and every new client starts with a free 20-minute consultation.

Clinically reviewed by Dr Carlo Demarco, PhD, Consultant Psychologist. Last updated October 2026.

Maybe you have promised yourself “never again” more times than you can count. Maybe the people close to you are worried, or you are hiding how much you drink, use or spend. Whatever has brought you here, reaching out takes courage. This is a health problem, not a moral failing, and with the right support people recover every day.

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What Is Addiction?

In simple terms, it means not having control over doing, taking or using something, to the point where it could be harmful to you. It can involve a substance, such as alcohol or drugs, or a behaviour, such as gambling or gaming. What starts as a way to relax, cope or have fun slowly becomes something you feel you need, even when it is causing problems.

It changes how the brain’s reward system works, which is why willpower alone is often not enough. It also tends to grow around painful feelings: stress, loneliness, low mood, anxiety or trauma. Good treatment works on both the habit and the reasons behind it. The NHS guide to getting help is a helpful place to start reading.

Signs of Addiction to Look Out For

Problems rarely appear overnight. These are some of the common signs, in yourself or someone close to you:

You do not have to hit “rock bottom” before getting help. The earlier you start, the easier it usually is to change.

Addiction Counselling for Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling and More

Our psychologists work with adults who are struggling with many kinds of dependency, including:

• Alcohol addiction: from regular heavy drinking that is creeping up, to binge drinking, to drinking that you feel you cannot stop.
• Drugs: including cannabis, cocaine and recreational drugs, and misuse of prescription medicines such as painkillers or sleeping tablets.
• Gambling: online betting, casino apps, slot machines and sports betting.
• Gaming, internet and phone use: when screens take over sleep, work and relationships.
• Pornography and compulsive sexual behaviour: see also our sex therapy page.
• Shopping and spending: when buying becomes a way to manage feelings.
• Smoking and vaping: our hypnotherapy for smoking can help.

Alcohol Addiction: When Drinking Stops Being a Choice

Alcohol is the most common reason people come to us for addiction counselling, partly because drinking is so normal in the UK that it is easy to miss when it becomes a problem. Warning signs include drinking to cope with stress or feelings, needing a drink to start or end the day, hiding how much you drink, feeling shaky or anxious when you stop, and carrying on despite health, work or relationship problems.

Therapy for alcohol addiction helps you understand when and why you drink, set a clear goal (cutting down or stopping completely), get through cravings, and build a life that does not revolve around alcohol. NICE guidance on alcohol-use disorders recommends psychological therapies such as CBT as part of treatment.

The Addiction Cycle

Most addictions follow a similar loop. A trigger, such as stress, boredom, a payday or certain people and places, sets off a craving. Using, drinking or gambling brings short-term relief or escape. Then comes the aftermath: guilt, shame, low mood, money worries or a hangover. Those painful feelings become the next trigger, and the cycle turns again.

Understanding your own version of this cycle is the first step in therapy. Once you can see it clearly, you can find the points where it is easiest to step out, for example by handling triggers differently, riding out cravings or treating yourself with less shame after a slip.

How Therapy Helps

We use well-researched talking therapies, chosen to fit you and your goals:

• Motivational interviewing: a respectful conversation that helps you weigh up change, without lectures or pressure, and find your own reasons to do it.
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): spotting the thoughts, triggers and situations that lead to using, and practising new ways of coping.
• Craving skills: techniques such as “urge surfing”, delay and distraction, so that cravings pass without acting on them.
• Relapse prevention: a written plan for high-risk situations, early warning signs and what to do after a slip.
• Emotion and stress skills: drawn from dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and mindfulness, for people who use substances to manage overwhelming feelings.
• Working on what lies underneath: trauma, grief, low self-esteem or relationship problems, once you feel steadier.

Your goal is your own. Some people want to stop completely; others want to cut down and regain control. We will be honest with you about what is safest and most realistic, and support the goal you choose.

Drinking, Drug Use and Mental Health

Substance use and mental health problems often go together. Many people start drinking or using to ease anxiety, low mood or painful memories, and over time the habit makes those feelings worse. Treating only one side often leads to relapse, so our psychologists work on both at once. You can read more on our page about the connection between depression and addiction, and about our therapy for depression and trauma therapy.

Detox and Your Safety

Free, confidential helplines are also there for you: Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, FRANK on 0300 123 6600 for drugs, and the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, open 24 hours.

Relapse Prevention: Staying on Track

Recovery is rarely a straight line, and a slip does not wipe out your progress. In therapy we build a personal relapse prevention plan, so that you can spot trouble early and know exactly what to do.

Your plan usually includes your personal triggers and high-risk situations, early warning signs (such as skipping support, isolating or thinking “one won’t hurt”), people you can call, things that help you ride out a craving, and a calm, practical plan for the first hours and days after a lapse. A quick “HALT” check, asking whether you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired, catches many cravings before they grow.

What Recovery Can Look Like

Recovery is not only about what you stop doing. It is also about what you start doing instead. As the weeks go on, clients often tell us that they sleep better, think more clearly and feel less on edge. Money starts to stay in the bank. Conversations at home become calmer, and trust slowly returns.

Just as important, you get to know yourself again: what you enjoy, what you value and how you want to spend your time. We help you fill the space that drinking, using or gambling used to take up, with people, routines and interests that support you. Small, steady changes add up, and setbacks along the way are part of learning, not a sign that you cannot do it.

How It Works at Feeling To Healing

Each session lasts 55 minutes. Many people come weekly for around 8 to 16 sessions, although this depends on the habit, your goals and what else you are dealing with. If you are already working with a GP or an NHS drug and alcohol service, we are happy to coordinate with them, with your permission.

Online Addiction Counselling Across the UK

Online addiction counselling lets you get help from home, with no waiting room and no risk of bumping into someone you know. It also makes it easier to keep going during busy or difficult weeks, when travelling to appointments can become one more reason to skip. Research shows CBT by video can work as well as meeting in person.

All you need is a private space, a phone, tablet or computer, and a steady internet connection. Many clients choose online addiction counselling because they live outside London, work long hours or value extra privacy. Read more about our video sessions.

Addiction Therapy in London: Our Clinic

If you prefer to meet in person, we offer addiction therapy in London at our clinic at 106 Empress Avenue, London E12 5EU, in East London. A fixed time and place each week can give helpful structure in early recovery. Many clients mix clinic and video sessions as their week allows.

Meet Our Team

Feeling To Healing is a team, not a one-person practice. Your therapy is led by qualified psychologists, with other practitioners available when a whole-person plan helps.

Inas Hassan, our Certified Hypnotherapist, works with smoking, stress and anxiety in Arabic, French and English (see hypnotherapy). Hannah Norris, our Nutrition Consultant, can help you rebuild healthy eating in recovery. Our team also includes homeopaths Dr Anelia Dimitrova and Hafsa Hasan.

For Families and Partners

Loving someone who drinks, uses or gambles is exhausting and frightening. You might swing between anger, worry, guilt and hope, and wonder whether you are helping or making things worse. You cannot make someone change, but you can look after yourself and learn ways of responding that make change more likely.

Adult family members and partners are welcome to book their own sessions with us. If it has damaged trust in your relationship, our couples counselling can help once the person in recovery feels stable. Groups such as Al-Anon also offer free support for families of people who drink.

Private Addiction Counselling or the NHS?

On the NHS, you can ask your GP for help or refer yourself to your local drug and alcohol service, which is free. There are also specialist NHS gambling clinics. These services are the right place for detox and medical treatment.

With private addiction counselling at Feeling To Healing there is no waiting list and no referral, sessions are one-to-one with a psychologist, and we can work on the habit and any anxiety, low mood or trauma together. Our session fees are on our fees page. You pay us directly, as we do not bill insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, we give you a receipt after each session so that you can claim the cost back from your insurer yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also find these helpful: anger management, anxiety treatment, psychology services and all our therapy services in London.

This page is for general information and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Reviewed by Dr Carlo Demarco, Consultant Psychologist, October 2026.