Recovering Addict Warns of Ketamine Surge Among UK Youth, Cites Lasting Bladder and Liver Damage

A man who says he recovered from long‑term ketamine addiction warned that the dissociative drug is gaining popularity among British teenagers and can cause lasting physical harm, including irreversible bladder damage, incontinence and liver pain.

Liam J, 37, who says he became addicted to ketamine in his early 20s and abused it for more than a decade, told the Daily Mail that the drug "destroyed his life" and left him with ongoing medical problems. He described experiencing severe episodes — commonly referred to as "k‑holes" — and said he was told by hospital staff that he had sustained damage that may be irreversible.

Ketamine, a dissociative anaesthetic legally used in medicine and veterinary practice, is increasingly sold illicitly and sometimes labelled as a horse tranquilliser in media reports because of its potency. Users and treatment professionals say it is being marketed and delivered via social media platforms and encrypted messaging apps, and is appearing in forms such as vapes laced with ketamine and edible "sweets".

Liam said younger people are choosing ketamine in part because it is cheaper than cocaine and produces a numbing, dissociative effect. "Kids can't afford cocaine and it doesn't do what ketamine does so they're taking ket," he said, adding that purchases can be arranged online for delivery. He described episodes in which the drug became "blocked in [his] system," and said taking an additional dose to counter symptoms nearly killed him on several occasions. He recalled a hospital nurse telling him his blood results indicated he "shouldn't medically be alive."

Staff at UK rehabilitation centres echoed concerns about rising ketamine use among young people. Zaheen Ahmed, director of therapy at Oasis Recovery Runcorn, said he has seen an increase in referrals for ketamine dependence and that middle‑class boys and girls are among those being treated. Ahmed said he believes the drug's temporary numbing effect is appealing to a generation coping with social pressures and isolation. "The reason why it's so popular among this age is because it just temporarily numbs everything," he said. "But it gives you unbearable bladder pain, incontinence, irreversible bladder damage, and you can get stuck in a terrifying 'k‑hole' where you feel trapped in your own body, for hours."

Liam said he completed a 12‑step recovery programme at Liberty House, a UKAT Group rehabilitation centre in Luton, and that the course of treatment cost about £20,000 — an expense he said his family helped cover. He described meeting peers in treatment who had begun taking ketamine in their early teens, and said he believes the drug is now affecting younger cohorts than when he first started using.

Treatment workers report that the combination of easy online access, low cost, and the drug's dissociative properties has contributed to its spread among younger users. Therapists and former users caution that long‑term effects remain imperfectly documented, in part because the illegal market and patterns of use vary, but they point to repeated clinical reports of urinary tract and bladder disorders, abdominal and liver pain, and cognitive and emotional harms.

Public‑facing drug services advise people seeking help to contact their GP or local health services. In the U.K., the FRANK drugs helpline can be reached at 0300 123 6600 and provides information and support for people concerned about drug use. The UKAT Group and other charities also offer information and residential treatment options for those with dependence on ketamine and other substances.

Clinicians caution that while ketamine has legitimate medical uses in anaesthesia and increasingly in controlled therapeutic settings, recreational and unsupervised use carries significant risks. Recovery professionals say parents and schools are reporting new challenges as substances marketed for easy consumption and delivery reach younger users through social networks.

Liam urged young people to avoid the drug and called for greater awareness of its potential to cause lasting harm. "I started using ketamine when I was young because of its numbing effect — it allowed me to escape momentarily," he said. "We're in an epidemic and no one realises it yet. It's only going to get worse."