Recovering addict warns of rising ketamine use among Gen Z and lasting health damage

A recovering ketamine addict has warned young people about the drug’s risks, saying prolonged use destroyed his life and left him with what medical professionals have described as irreversible physical damage.

Liam J, 37, said he began using ketamine in his early 20s, abused it for more than a decade and now suffers ongoing incontinence, liver pain and other chronic problems. He and addiction specialists who treated him told the Daily Mail that ketamine’s increasing popularity among teenagers in Britain is being driven by easy online availability, low cost and its temporary "numbing" effects.

Liam described repeated episodes of acute distress associated with heavy use, including periods when he was unable to eat for days and times when he feared he would die after taking more of the drug to counteract a previous dose. He said a hospital nurse told him his blood test results suggested he "shouldn't medically be alive." He is now on a 12-step recovery programme that he said cost about £20,000 and was funded with family support.

Addiction therapists reported a growing number of young people presenting with ketamine dependence. Zaheen Ahmed, director of therapy at Oasis Recovery Runcorn, said he has seen a rapid increase in referrals and that the drug is affecting a wide socio-economic range of teenagers. "There is a rapidly increasing trend of ketamine addiction — ket is the new drug entering the market and it's being taken most by youngsters," Ahmed said.

Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic used legally in medical and veterinary settings. Illicit use can produce hallucinogenic effects and a dissociative state sometimes called a "k-hole," during which users may feel trapped in their own bodies. Long-term, heavy use has been linked to severe bladder pain, incontinence and irreversible bladder damage; users can also experience acute intoxication, cognitive and mood disturbances, and other organ effects.

Therapists and the former user said new forms of the drug and informal distribution are widening its reach in schools. Reports cited so-called "K-vapes" — vaping devices suspected to be laced with ketamine — and small confectionery-style doses being sold to pupils, with purchases facilitated through social media and messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

Liam told the Daily Mail that younger users are choosing ketamine in part because it is cheaper than cocaine and provides rapid relief from anxiety or distress. "Teenagers now are using their lunch money to buy ket to deal with their anxiety," he said. Ahmed linked the drug’s appeal to wider social pressures faced by younger people, including isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and stresses associated with social media.

Medical professionals caution that the full long-term harms of recreational ketamine, particularly among adolescent users, are not yet fully understood. However, there is growing clinical recognition of a ketamine-associated cystitis syndrome characterised by severe lower urinary tract symptoms that in some cases require surgical intervention.

Rehabilitation services say they are treating increasingly younger clients for ketamine dependence. Liam said he met a man in his 20s at his treatment centre who began taking ketamine at 13. Treatment providers emphasised that many young people lack the resources or family support to access costly residential programmes.

National health services and charities recommend that people concerned about substance use seek help from their general practitioner or local drug and alcohol services. In the UK, the national advice service FRANK can be contacted on 0300 123 6600 and provides information and support for people affected by drug use. Private and charitable organisations such as the UKAT Group operate residential rehabilitation facilities and publish guidance on ketamine support and treatment.

Clinicians and therapists interviewed in the reporting urged parents, schools and health services to be alert to signs of ketamine use among young people and to expand prevention and treatment resources. They also called for clearer information about the risks of ketamine and for wider access to evidence-based addiction services for adolescents and young adults.

Liam said he survived long-term addiction and now wants to warn others before the drug can cause similar or worse damage. "We're in an epidemic and no one realises it yet. It's only going to get worse," he said, while urging earlier intervention and more accessible treatment options for young users.