Private and confidential
Addiction counselling in Kent
Whatever the substance or the behaviour, the machinery underneath is remarkably similar — and so is the way out of it.
The same machine, different fuel
Alcohol, cocaine, betting, porn, the phone, the online basket at midnight — from the outside these look like very different problems. From the inside they run on identical machinery:
- Something uncomfortable turns up — boredom, stress, loneliness, a row, or nothing identifiable at all.
- An urge appears, with a story attached about why this time is fine.
- You do the thing. It works. That is the part nobody says out loud — it genuinely works, for about an hour.
- Then it costs you: money, sleep, self-respect, someone's trust.
- The cost itself becomes uncomfortable — and you are back at step one, now with an obvious solution to hand.
Understanding that loop is not the same as escaping it. But it does explain why willpower alone tends to fail, and why the way out has to involve more than deciding harder.
What I work with
Alcohol
From creeping evening drinking to physical dependence.
Alcohol counselling →
Drugs
Cocaine, cannabis, stimulants, prescription medication.
Drug counselling →
Gambling
Online betting, casino apps, sports, chasing losses.
Gambling therapy →
Pornography
Compulsive use, escalation, and the shame around it.
Porn addiction →
Gaming
When it stops being a hobby and starts costing you.
Gaming therapy →
Screen & phone
The scroll that eats whole evenings.
Screen use therapy →
Shopping & spending
Compulsive buying, hidden parcels, mounting debt.
Shopping addiction →
Food & eating
Bingeing, night eating, using food to manage feeling.
Eating behaviour →
Relapse prevention
You have stopped. Now make it hold.
Staying well →
Families & partners
When it is someone you love, not you.
Support for families →
How I approach it
Primarily with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which is unusually well suited to this work, supported by CBT where a specific belief or behavioural loop needs breaking.
The short version: we build your ability to have an urge without obeying it, we loosen the grip of the voice that talks you into it, and we do serious work on what you actually want your life to be for — because nobody stays stopped for long on discipline alone.
What you will not get here
- A lecture. You have given yourself every lecture available.
- Shock tactics. Shame is the engine of this thing, not the cure for it.
- A requirement to be certain. Ambivalence is normal and workable. Pretending to certainty you do not feel is not.
- A fixed programme. The work is built round your pattern, not a manual.
A medical point that matters. If you are physically dependent on alcohol or benzodiazepines, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Speak to your GP about a managed reduction before making any abrupt change. Therapy works alongside that; it does not replace it.
Free and low-cost support in Kent
If private therapy is not affordable, these are real options and worth using:
- Change Grow Live and We Are With You — free drug and alcohol services operating in Kent.
- GamCare — free gambling treatment nationally, including one-to-one therapy and the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
- AA, NA, GA, SMART Recovery — free peer groups meeting weekly within a short drive of Borough Green.
- NHS Talking Therapies — free, self-referral, for the anxiety and depression that so often sit underneath.
- Your GP — for medication, managed detox and specialist referral.
Common questions
Do I have to call it an addiction?
No. Plenty of people would not use the word and it does not matter. If a behaviour is costing you more than you want to pay and you have not been able to change it on your own, that is enough to work with. The label is not the point.
Will anyone find out?
Not from me. Nothing is shared with your GP, employer, insurer or family without your explicit agreement. The room has a private entrance and no shared waiting area. The narrow legal exceptions are set out on the privacy page.
Is this instead of AA or rehab?
Alongside, usually. Groups give fellowship and structure; residential care gives a break from the environment; individual therapy works on the specific mechanics of your pattern. Many people do more than one and get more from each.
What if I am not ready to stop?
Then come anyway. Being unsure is a legitimate place to start, and it is a great deal more honest than announcing a certainty you do not feel. We can work on the ambivalence itself.
How quickly can I be seen?
Usually within a week. There is no waiting list. Ring for a free 15-minute call and we will find a time.
Talk it through first
The first step is a short phone call. No commitment, no pressure — just a conversation about what is going on and whether I am the right person to help.
Free 15-minute call · Confidential · Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, 9am to 5pm