When the long evenings become the problem
Addiction flourishes quietly in expat life. The structures that held the drinking in place at home, the routine, the reputation, the people who would notice, are gone. The social life of international Lisbon runs on wine and long evenings; the loneliness underneath it is rarely spoken. What was social at home becomes structural abroad, and by the time it is named, it has usually been true for years.
Dr Philippe Jacquet works with exactly this, online by secure video from his Harley Street practice in London, in English and French, on Lisbon time. Hazelden-trained, nine years working inside private rehab, five supervising it clinically, twenty-five years across addiction and eating disorders: the depth of a specialist, with the independence of distance. Alcohol, cocaine, gambling, and the compulsions that hide inside successful lives.
Discretion in a village
International Lisbon is a village: everyone knows everyone, and the local clinic may know your neighbour. An independent London practitioner keeps your recovery entirely separate from your world. Where food and drink run together, as they very often do, both are treated in the same relationship. And where the drinking sits on old wounds, the trauma too can be processed.
A first conversation is confidential and without commitment. Book here. The full picture of the addiction practice: addiction therapist in London.
Common questions
Is there English-speaking addiction help in Lisbon?
Yes: Dr Philippe Jacquet works with the international community in Lisbon and across Portugal by secure video, in English and French, from his Harley Street practice in London. Hazelden-trained, with nine years working inside private rehab and twenty-five years in addiction and eating disorders.
Why does addiction grow in expat life?
Because the structures that held the drinking in place at home disappear: the routine, the reputation, the people who would notice. Expat social life often runs on alcohol, the evenings are long, and the loneliness underneath is rarely named. What was social at home quietly becomes structural abroad.
Is it confidential?
Completely, and by design. International Lisbon is a village; working with an independent London practitioner keeps your recovery entirely separate from your social and professional world. Nothing is shared with anyone without your explicit consent.
Can this replace going to rehab?
For many people, yes: serious, structured private therapy arranged around your life, without disappearing for six weeks. Where residential treatment is genuinely needed, you will get independent advice from someone who spent years inside the rehab world and takes no referral fees from any clinic.