Condition
Addiction Support — therapy online across the UK
Support for anyone whose relationship with a substance or behaviour has become a problem — without judgement.
1 in 3
adults report at least one addictive behaviour pattern in their lifetime
First-line
CBT and motivational approaches per NICE
Common
co-occurring anxiety, depression or trauma
Ongoing
recovery is typically a process, not a single event
Understanding it
About Addiction Support
Addiction support helps people whose use of alcohol, drugs, gambling or other behaviours has become compulsive, harmful or hard to control, despite wanting to stop or cut down. Therapy doesn't require you to identify with a label; it works with the function the behaviour serves — numbing, escaping, coping, connecting — alongside practical strategies for change. Many people access this alongside medical support, detox services or twelve-step and mutual-aid groups.
Addiction rarely develops in isolation. It usually begins as a solution — to pain, trauma, anxiety, boredom or disconnection — before becoming a problem of its own. Understanding what the behaviour was doing for you is often more useful than focusing purely on stopping it.
Repeated use changes how the brain responds to reward, stress and cues, which is why cravings can feel disproportionate to the situation and why willpower alone often isn't enough. This is a recognised feature of addiction, not a moral failing or lack of character.
Relapse is common and, for many people, part of the process of change rather than evidence that treatment has failed. Therapy that treats setbacks as information rather than failure tends to support more durable, long-term change.
Shame is one of the biggest barriers to seeking help and one of the strongest maintainers of addictive patterns — people often use to escape the shame caused by using. Non-judgemental, person-first support interrupts that cycle.
How it shows up
You might recognise some of this
Nobody has all of it. Most people recognise a handful — and that's enough to start.
Signs it may be time to seek support
- Using more, or more often, than intended
- Failed attempts to cut down or stop
- Cravings that override other priorities
- Continuing despite harm to health, relationships, work or finances
- Using to cope with difficult feelings rather than by choice
What sessions involve
- Understanding triggers, cravings and the function the behaviour serves
- Building alternative coping strategies for difficult emotions
- Relapse prevention planning
- Working with shame, identity and relationships affected by the addiction
- Coordination with medical, detox or peer-support services where needed
What changes
- Increased periods of control or abstinence
- Reduced shame and secrecy around the behaviour
- New ways of managing stress, boredom or difficult emotion
- Rebuilding trust and relationships affected by the addiction
Signals
When this helps
- Alcohol and substance use
- Gambling and other behavioural addictions
- Cravings and relapse prevention
- Shame and secrecy around the behaviour
- Co-occurring trauma, anxiety or depression
The work
How therapy helps here
Explores the function the behaviour has been serving
Builds practical strategies for cravings, triggers and high-risk situations
Works alongside medical or peer-support services for fuller recovery
The evidence
What the research actually says
Plain-English summaries of the guidance our therapists work from.
CBT is a core recommended treatment
NICE guidance identifies cognitive behavioural approaches, including relapse-prevention strategies, as effective components of treatment for alcohol and drug misuse, often combined with medical management.
Motivational approaches improve engagement
Motivational interviewing — working with someone's own reasons for change rather than imposing them — is consistently associated with better engagement and outcomes, particularly early in the process.
Combined approaches outperform single interventions
Research consistently supports combining psychological therapy with medical, peer-support and social interventions, rather than relying on any single approach alone.
What to expect
How a course of therapy usually unfolds
A guide, not a script — your therapist shapes this around you.
- 1
Assessment
Understanding the substance or behaviour, its history, triggers, and any medical or safety considerations, without judgement.
- 2
Motivation and goal-setting
Clarifying what you want — abstinence, reduction, or something else — and why it matters to you.
- 3
Building coping strategies
Developing alternatives to the addictive behaviour for managing stress, boredom, and difficult feelings.
- 4
Relapse-prevention planning
Identifying high-risk situations and preparing specific plans for managing cravings and setbacks.
- 5
Rebuilding
Addressing the wider impact on relationships, identity and self-worth as new patterns become established.
Worth saying
Common worries, honestly answered
“Addiction is a choice or a lack of willpower.”
Addiction involves real changes in brain chemistry and stress response, and usually develops as a way of coping with pain — it responds to treatment, not blame.
“You have to hit 'rock bottom' before you can be helped.”
Support is more effective the earlier it starts — waiting for crisis isn't necessary or recommended.
“A relapse means treatment has failed.”
Relapse is common in recovery from addiction and is usually treated as useful information for adjusting the plan, not as a failure.
Between sessions
Small things that genuinely help
None of these replace therapy — but they're a gentle place to begin today.
- Identify your specific triggers — times, places, feelings, people
- Delay acting on a craving by 10-15 minutes and notice what happens
- Tell one trusted person about what you're working on
- Replace one part of the routine around the behaviour with something else
- Look into peer-support or mutual-aid groups alongside therapy
FAQs
Frequently asked
Find the therapist who fits
Answer 10 short questions and we'll match you within 48 hours — no card needed to start.