In Devon, there is free, confidential help available to help you stop or drink less alcohol — from quick advice through to treatment and recovery support.
Information, advice, and health coaching offer
Do you want to check your drinking? You can check your drinking online, get personalised, confidential feedback and find out what support (if any) might help you from the following:
- DrinkCoach – facts about alcohol and tips for cutting down, plus tools to help.
- Alcohol test – a free, quick and confidential way to find out how risky your drinking is, and access signposting to additional support when needed.
- DrinkCoach app – track your drinking and manage your goals.
If you need support to make changes to your drinking, DrinkCoach offers free online or telephone coaching for people who live or work in Devon (excluding Plymouth and Torbay).
Online (and telephone) coaching is delivered by trained specialist alcohol coaches from DrinkCoach through booked online appointments. Coaching sessions are provided by real specialist people – not automated systems or AI bots.
Coaches are experienced in supporting behaviour change around alcohol in a practical, non-judgemental way. Sessions are scheduled at a time that suits the individual and take place online, making support accessible, private, and flexible.
You can have up to six 40-minute coaching sessions that are free, confidential, and be booked for a time that suits you, including evenings and weekends.
Book your DrinkCoach appointment
Further sources of advice, information and support
- Alcohol Change UK – is a leading UK alcohol charity, and have a wide range of free to use information, facts, tips and resources you can use online, such as the check your drinking tool, or via the Try Dry app.
- NHS Better Health – drink less alcohol – information to reduce your drinking and take control of your health with simple tips and tools, all free to use, including the NHS Drink Less app – tips and support to have alcohol free days each week.
- Local support from WayThrough drug and alcohol treatment services – in Devon, if you are aged 18 and over you can get help from Waythrough.
You can also speak to your GP if you are worried about your drinking and think you might need more specialist support.
You might need specialist support if you scored highly on an alcohol test and/or if you find it difficult to fully control your drinking in some way, for example, if:
- you often feel the need to have a drink
- you find it hard to stop once you’ve started
- other people have said they are concerned about your drinking
- you think your drinking is causing you problems in other ways
Get medical advice before you stop drinking alcohol if you have physical withdrawal symptoms (like shaking, sweating or feeling anxious until you have your first drink of the day).
It can be dangerous to stop drinking too quickly without specialist support.
Local and national support in the community
There are other organisations that provide information and support to make changes to your drinking, often with support either online or in locations across Devon.
Support groups online and/or face to face
- SMART Recovery: Self-help dependency recovery programmes for alcohol use disorder, drug dependency, gambling and more.
- Local support online and face-to-face from Alcoholics Anonymous.
- Are you affected by someone else’s drinking? If so, Al Anon offers online and face-to-face group support across Devon.
Digital self-help
- Breaking Free Online – recovery program for alcohol and drugs.
- SilverCloud – free to join and helps you to improve and maintain your wellbeing by changing the way you think and feel about things.
- The Joy app – connects people with local services.
Information
- DrugWise – promoting evidence-based information on drugs, alcohol and tobacco.