Alcohol Counsellor in Leeds | Private Alcohol Counselling & Therapy | Start Recovery

Drinking alcohol is deeply embedded in UK society and culture. It is woven into how we celebrate, commiserate, socialise, and unwind — after work, with meals, at sporting events, on the high street, and on our screens. For most people, that is fine. There is a choice about when, where, and how much to drink.

But for some of us, that choice begins to erode. Slowly, often imperceptibly, drinking shifts from something we do to something we need. And by the time we recognise that something has changed, our learned behaviours, psychological defences, belief systems, and central nervous system are all working to keep us exactly where we are.

If that sounds familiar, you are not alone — and you have come to the right place.

I am Mark Franklin, a specialist addiction counsellor based in Adel, North Leeds (LS16). I have been working with people with alcohol problems and addictions since 2012, and I am in recovery from alcohol problems myself. I am also the published author of Sober Days: How to Train Your Earworm and Stop Drinking Alcohol, a BBC Radio Leeds guest specialist on addiction, and the founder of a multi award-winning addiction counselling practice.

Do You Have a Drinking Problem? Signs to Look For

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) exists on a spectrum. You do not have to be drinking every day, or drinking spirits from a bottle in a brown paper bag, to have a problem with alcohol. Many people with serious alcohol problems are high-functioning — holding down jobs, maintaining relationships, and appearing fine from the outside.

You may have a drinking problem if you:

Feel guilt or shame about your drinking
Lie to others — or to yourself — to hide your drinking habits
Have friends or family members who are worried about your drinking
Need to drink to relax, feel normal, or cope with stress
Black out or forget things that happened while you were drinking
Regularly drink more than you intended to, or find you cannot stop once you have started
Drink earlier in the day than you used to, or alone
Experience cravings, irritability, or anxiety when you have not had a drink

It is often a specific negative event — a consequence that cannot be ignored — that brings the problem into focus. But the earlier you can recognise and acknowledge what is happening, the better your chances of lasting recovery.

Alcohol Use Disorder — Understanding the Problem

We now recognise problematic and excessive drinking clinically as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) — a condition that affects millions of people in the UK and is increasingly recognised as a complex neurological and behavioural disorder, not simply a lifestyle choice or a failure of willpower.

Alcohol works on the brain's reward system — releasing dopamine and creating a powerful association between drinking and relief, pleasure, or escape. Over time, the brain adapts to the presence of alcohol, requiring more to achieve the same effect, and producing distress — physical and psychological — when it is absent.

The good news is that people do recover from alcohol problems. Many, many people have done it — and with the right support, you can too.

Stopping Safely — Alcohol Withdrawal

If you are a heavy, habitual, or dependent alcohol user, it is critical that you do not stop drinking suddenly without seeking advice first. This is important — please read this section carefully.

When the body has become physically dependent on alcohol, stopping abruptly can cause serious, and in some cases life-threatening, withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically begin within a few hours of the last drink, peak around 48–72 hours, and begin to ease after around five days.

Common alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:

Headaches and shaking
Sweating and fever
Nausea and vomiting
Anxiety and restlessness
Sleep disturbances
Elevated heart rate or blood pressure

Go to A&E or call 999 immediately if you experience any of the following:

Seizures or convulsions
Hallucinations
Severe confusion or disorientation
Extreme agitation
High fever with severe vomiting

If you are a heavy or dependent drinker, a clinically supervised detox is the safest route — either at home with medical support or in a hospital or rehab facility, where medication such as Librium may be prescribed to manage withdrawal safely. I can advise on the most appropriate pathway for your individual situation.

How Alcohol Counselling in Leeds Can Help

Stopping drinking is the beginning — not the end. For most people, alcohol has been serving a function: managing anxiety, numbing emotional pain, providing social confidence, or filling a void. Once the alcohol is removed, those underlying needs do not disappear. Without support, the pull to return is powerful.

This is where specialist alcohol counselling makes a real difference.

At Start Recovery, I work with clients to:

Identify the root causes of their alcohol use — the emotional, psychological, and neurological factors that developed and sustain it
Understand triggers, urges, and cravings — and develop practical, evidence-based strategies to manage them in real time
Process shame, guilt, and trauma — which are almost always present, and almost always unaddressed, in people with alcohol problems
Build a personalised recovery plan — incorporating peer support, family involvement where appropriate, and practical relapse prevention strategies
Develop new coping mechanisms — replacing alcohol as a coping tool with healthier, sustainable alternatives
Reconnect with identity — constructing a life and a sense of self that does not revolve around drinking

My approach draws on REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy), Motivational Interviewing, Polyvagal Theory, Mindfulness, and Breathwork — tailored to each individual client.

Managing Cravings, Triggers, and Urges

Cravings and urges to drink can be intense — particularly in the first six months of stopping. Understanding what triggers them, and having a clear plan for when they arrive, is one of the most important things we work on together.

Practical strategies include:

Identifying your personal trigger landscape — the people, places, emotions, and situations that reliably activate cravings
Understanding the urge cycle — how urges build, peak, and pass without needing to be acted on
Avoiding high-risk situations in early recovery while building resilience for the longer term
Planning assertive responses to social situations where alcohol is present — because alcohol is everywhere in Western culture, and avoidance alone is not a long-term strategy
Using mindfulness and breathwork to slow down automatic responses and create space for choice

Emotions will fluctuate significantly in the early weeks and months of stopping drinking — this is entirely normal as the brain's chemistry begins to rebalance and parts of the brain that were suppressed by alcohol begin to come back online. Having professional support during this period is not a luxury; it is one of the most important things you can do for your recovery.

Why Choose Start Recovery for Alcohol Counselling in Leeds

I specialise exclusively in addiction — not general counselling, not a broad range of mental health presentations. Alcohol problems, drug misuse, gambling addiction, ketamine use — that is all I do. That specialist focus, combined with my own lived experience of recovery, means I bring a depth of understanding to this work that cannot be replicated by a general counsellor or therapist.

My credentials include:

Level 4 Diploma in Alcohol and Substance Misuse Counselling
BSc (Hons) 2:1
Working in addiction services since 2012 — in London, Leeds, and across Yorkshire
Published author of Sober Days: How to Train Your Earworm and Stop Drinking Alcohol
BBC Radio Leeds guest specialist on addiction
Multi award-winning practice — Best Counselling Services Leeds & West Yorkshire, ThreeBestRated Top 3 Addiction Counsellors Leeds
Personal recovery from alcohol problems

Book an Alcohol Counselling Consultation in Leeds

If you are worried about your own drinking, or about someone else's, please get in touch. Initial consultations are confidential, non-judgemental, and available within two weeks of first contact.

Initial consultation — £59 for 30 minutes
Full sessions — £85 for 50 minutes
Package rates — £425 for 6 sessions / £765 for 12 sessions

Based at 10 Holt Ave, Adel, North Leeds, LS16 8DH. Serving clients across Leeds and West Yorkshire.

Get in touch here — or call 0113 328 0211. I aim to respond to all enquiries within 48 hours.

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Start Recovery Leeds addictions Counselling Room