Former ketamine addict who refused bladder removal shares ‘massive’ recovery update after going sober

Warning: This article contains discussion and imagery of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing.

A former ketamine addict who recalled 'p**sing red Fanta and jelly' at the height of his problem has provided followers with a positive update on his recovery journey.

Jack Curran previously opened up to LADbible about his addiction to the Class B drug, which began when he was just 16 after he starting using it while drinking.

While he wasn't a fan of the drug at first, its effects were 'too powerful' and he became completely addicted in the next four years.

The Brit admitted that he was ‘living to use, using to live’ after sustaining an injury and receiving an autoimmune disease diagnosis. The bloke even tried his hand at rehab in the midst of his struggles before a third attempt in 2022 caused him to stay off the stuff for good as he approaches three years of sobriety.

Jack has been open about his sobriety journey, sharing his progress with followers on TikTok and leaving no stone unturned with his health conditions that have come as a result of his past addiction.

Jack suffers from 'ketamine bladder', a common side effect of abuse, which started with a bruise in his pubic area caused by straining all day, eventually becoming 'pains where it stung'.

"I’ve had blood and a little bit of jelly but I’d never had where it didn’t come out," he recalled.

He would urinate 'red-like Fanta' which was pure blood, as well as a jelly-type substance which caused so much pain he would have to pee in the bath or put his finger on his bum to push his prostate to push his bladder to release it.

In a new video on social media, he spoke about how everyone going through recovery is going at different paces and that you shouldn't put pressure on yourself if you're in a similar spot.

He spoke about the 'electrocuting pains' he would feel in his bladder even though he was a year clean at the time, recalling: "It was really frustrating every day getting up with pains, drinking loads of water to relieve the pain."

Jack remembered seeing people at the six-month mark who were in a better state physically, noting that it took 14 months for him to start to 'feel the effects of not using'.

"I started seeing as evidence my bladder starting to heal where I started getting up every two hours to go to the toilet at night time, instead of every half hour to an hour," he said.

"I ain't been in pain for ages but I've been still getting up three, four times a night to go to the toilet.

"Probably best I ever got was two times in six hours... and you know what, there's been probably three to four days this month where I've had six hours sleep all the way through without getting up."

Jack highlighted for those who don't suffer with the condition that it's normal to not get up to go to the toilet in a six to eight hour period, but it's a huge milestone for him.

He explained: "For me and from where I come from with ketamine addiction and ketamine bladder syndrome, to not get up in a six-hour period is absolutely massive.

"To not be sitting there crying in pain, getting up every two hours because I need to go to the toilet is absolutely massive," he highlighted in the video posted on Sunday afternoon.

Ketamine bladder syndrome is a very serious problem associated with chronic use of the drug and medical professionals may carry out bladder removal in order to prevent further complications such as issues for the liver and kidneys. If you have concerns, always seek medical advice from a healthcare professional or access resources from the NHS.

If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week