This week, we’ve been speaking with The Times about the rise in Ketamine addiction among young people.
In Britain, addiction to ketamine has more than quadrupled since 2016, and use is estimated to have more than doubled — tripling in those under 25. There has been an increase in adults entering treatment with ketamine problems, from 1,551 in 2021-22 to 2,211 in 2022-23.
Now, experts in addiction and substance use have told the Times that ketamine abuse is soaring, with young people all over the UK seeking treatment for addiction and irreparable damage to their bladders.
Deb Casserly who appeared in our Addiction Awareness Week film last year spoke with The Times about her son Barney. For years before his death in 2018, Barney had been struggling with substance abuse, before taking his own life at the age of 21.
Barney was not struggling with an opiate dependency, cannabis or cocaine — currently three of the most common drugs causing people to seek help in Britain, according to government statistics. He was instead using ketamine, once known as a “safe” party drug, a staple of the rave scene in the nineties.
“It’s an absolute living hell, watching your child destroy themselves,”
Describing the night before Barney died, Deb told The Times “That night, we just sat on the sofa together, and he just said, mum, if this is living, I don’t want it. I tried to say all the things I know about […] you can recover, there is a way. People do get better. But he had in his head this idea that he was nothing but a burden.”
It is a particular cruelty of ketamine that its effects on the bladder can be so severe that only strong painkillers, like ketamine, can help. Ketamine is widely used in the NHS as an anaesthetic, sedative and pain reliever, and is also commonly used on animals.
Barney developed health problems due to his use of ketamine. Every day he would spend hours in the shower, showering warm water on his stomach to soothe the pain. He couldn’t sleep either, as he needed to urinate so often. He needed to go to the toilet up to 20 times a night.
Darren Lacey, Inclusion Coordinator at The Forward Trust also shared the reality of ketamine addiction among people supported by the charity;
“Last year we had a client who had to have his bladder removed and has now got a bag. He was 24 and he was still using. He was using because it’s a psychological addiction. There’s no physical addiction here. It’s psychological and it’s the pain that comes with that - a lot of people take it as a numbing effect and to get out of themselves.”
Just a few years after trying it for the first time at Reading Festival, Barney’s life completely revolved around the powerful tranquilliser drug. He had once been a child full of life and promise, on track to get A-levels and go to university like his peers.
“He loved music,” she said, and dancing. A “proper little Englishman”, he loved a roast dinner, but often resorted to M&S microwave meals, due to his questionable cooking skills. “He was an incredible mimic, he was loyal. He had so many friends. He had so much to live for.”
We’d like to say a huge thank you to Deb for sharing Barney’s story and to The Times Health Correspondent Poppy Koronka for shedding a light on this issue.
Today marks World Suicide Prevention Day, and hearing Barney’s story is a timely reminder that behind the statistics are people, a son, daughter, parent, grandparent etc. who meant so much to those who love them.
Support
Reach Out is a confidential online chat service supporting you with worries or concerns about alcohol, drugs or gambling, and also related issues including housing, mental health and employment.
However you’re feeling right now, you’re not alone: help is out there.
https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/find-support/reach-out-online-chat/
PAPYRUS
Prevention of Young Suicide is a UK charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people; HOPELINE 247 is a 24hour helpline- 0800 068 41 41