Addiction Therapy
Specialist Psychotherapy in London’s Harley Street Medical Quarter, St Paul’s in the City of London, and online.
Addiction often hides behind high-functioning lives, a silent battle that can feel deeply isolating, yet relentlessly destructive. Whether it involves alcohol addiction, drug addiction, gambling addiction, sex addiction, or other compulsive behaviours, addiction rarely exists in a vacuum. Addiction is frequently a response to deeper emotional pain, unmet needs, or long-standing psychological patterns.
I’m Talid Khan, an accredited Addiction Therapist with over a decade of clinical experience. From my private consulting rooms in London’s prestigious Harley Street Medical Quarter, St Pauls in the City of London and online, I offer discreet, tailored individual therapy and addiction counselling for those seeking clarity, accountability, and meaningful personal development. Each client I support is unique and all require a commitment to discretion, depth, and clinical integrity.
What Is Addiction?
Addiction is a complex psychological, behavioural, and neurobiological condition. It typically involves a cycle of craving → reward → withdrawal → relapse, driven by the brain’s reward system being hijacked and rewired. Individuals may continue the behaviour despite adverse consequences, not from weakness, but because it has become an emotional coping mechanism.
Contrary to common stereotypes, substance use can impact people from diverse backgrounds reminding us that no one is immune. The compulsive use of substances or engagement in behaviours such as gambling, sex, or excessive work can become a means to regulate emotions, escape from stress, or feel a fleeting sense of control.
Under the surface, addiction often masks:
- Childhood trauma or attachment wounds
- Chronic stress, anxiety, or depression
- Emotional neglect or relational disruptions
- Feelings of shame, inadequacy, or identity confusion
In many cases, clients describe feeling "stuck in a loop" repeating patterns they don't fully understand yet feel powerless to change. Therapy provides a framework to explore this cycle with compassion, structure and clinically grounded support.
Common Signs of Addiction
Addiction doesn’t always present in obvious ways. In fact, many people maintain outward success while privately battling internal distress. Warning signs may include:
- Difficulty stopping or moderating behaviour or substance use
- Increased tolerance or withdrawal symptoms
- Preoccupation with the substance or activity
- Impact on career, relationships, or mental health
- Feelings of secrecy, shame, or internal conflict
- Using addictive behaviour to manage boredom, anxiety, or loneliness
- A sense of dual life, appearing in control while feeling emotionally chaotic beneath the surface
If any of these resonate, know that addiction therapy is not about judgment or blame, it’s about understanding and change.
Is This Therapy for You?
Addiction Therapy may support you if:
- You feel stuck in repetitive patterns of behavioural addiction or substance use disorder
- Your alcohol use or drug use is out of control
- You've tried to stop but find yourself relapsing
- You've been to rehab and then relapsed
- Your relationships, work, or emotional wellbeing are being affected
- You're ready to explore the why behind your addiction, not just stop the behaviour
- You want to be supported in a confidential, structured, and clinically grounded setting
- You've tried alcoholics anonymous or narcotics anonymous with limited success
Addiction counselling is well-suited to clients who value discretion and depth, and who may be seeking support away from group-based drug addiction treatment models or public healthcare services.
How Therapy Works
We begin with an in-depth consultation (up to 100 minutes), where I listen to your story and assess your needs. From there, I create a personalised treatment plan combining evidence-based models and specialist techniques to address both the emotional and behavioural drivers of drug addiction.
Depending on your goals and history, treatment may include:
- Psychodynamic Therapy to explore unconscious patterns and past attachment disruptions
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques (CBT) to change thought and behaviour cycles
- Motivational Interviewing to support your readiness for change
- Relapse Prevention Planning to identify triggers and strengthen resilience
- Creative Integration using Art Psychotherapy where verbal expression is difficult
- Psychoeducation to understand the neuroscience behind habit and craving
- Holistic referrals including trauma bodywork, mindfulness, or nutritional therapy
- Family or partner sessions if clinically appropriate
- 12-Step support referrals were beneficial
Sessions are then 50 minutes and held weekly unless a more intensive format is required. Addiction counselling can be conducted in-person or online therapy, offering flexibility for those with demanding schedules or international commitments. For clients who use more than one substance or combine drugs and alcohol, therapy can also address the complexity of Polydrug & Cross-Addiction Therapy.
Medical Detox and Psychiatric Support
In some cases, a medically supervised detox may be necessary before therapy begins. If so, I can refer you to eminent consultant psychiatrists and leading private drug treatment centres in the UK or internationally. These collaborations ensure your medical and therapeutic needs are safely coordinated. Clients benefit from a joined-up approach, where detox treatment, medication management, and psychotherapy work together to stabilise and strengthen long-term recovery outcomes.
My Approach: Discreet, Clinically Grounded, Trauma-Informed
- Based in London, with a global clientele
- Over a decade of clinical experience in leading private hospitals, the NHS, and private practice
- Inclusive of neurodivergent clients, including those with autism and ADHD
- Grounded in empathy, expertise, and personalisation, no two treatment plans are alike
- No public diary is used; my location is rarely published online for your privacy
I offer a low-visibility entrance and total confidentiality, ensuring your therapeutic work remains private and protected.
Understanding Triggers and Emotional Drivers
Addiction or substance abuse is often fuelled by:
- Loneliness, stress, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm
- Unprocessed trauma or relational difficulties
- Impulse regulation challenges (often linked to ADHD or neurodivergence)
- The need for control, relief, or emotional escape
Many clients also describe a "numbing" effect using alcohol, substances or behaviours to distance themselves from painful emotions or psychological discomfort. Therapy helps reconnect with those emotions safely, allowing for long-term change and self-understanding.
What My Clients Often Tell Me
In my professional experience, many clients arrive not just seeking to “quit” a behaviour but searching for a deeper understanding of themselves — why the substance addiction or behavioural addiction took hold in the first place, and what it’s trying to communicate. My clients often tell me that therapy was the first time they felt safe enough to examine these patterns without fear or shame. It’s here, in this reflective space, that lasting transformation begins, not by fixing what is broken, but by uncovering what has long been buried beneath coping and survival.
Recovery Is Possible
Long-term addiction recovery is not achieved through shame, willpower, or quick fixes. It grows through:
- Self-awareness
- Structured support
- Considered treatment planning
- Emotional processing
- Resilience-building
- Meaningful life changes
Whether you’re early in your recovery journey or have been struggling for years, therapy can help you move from coping to thriving. It’s not just about abstinence; it’s about building a life you don’t need to escape from.
Next Step
If you or someone close to you is struggling with alcohol addiction or drug addiction, whether it’s visible, hidden, or somewhere in between, I welcome you to reach out in confidence.
Initial consultations are available by direct enquiry or professional referral. These sessions offer a chance to explore the nature of your addiction, ask any questions about treatment, and consider whether therapy, including online therapy, is the right next step for you.
You’ll be met with clinical insight, discretion, and a genuine commitment to helping you move forward. To arrange a confidential introductory call, please contact me or my practice secretary directly.
Book a complimentary consultation or a private therapy session.