Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing.
A woman has shared how her ketamine addiction left her so unwell she had to wear nappies regularly - but managed to find the 'love of her life' while in rehab.
Essex girl Liv McCaul would take 'up to 15g' of the Class B drug per day when her addiction reached its worst, which had 'crippling' effects on her bladder.
This meant she would be going to the toilet every 10 minutes and was also required to wear a nappy.
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The 24-year-old was admitted to a rehabilitation centre on 14 May this year, where her health began to improve and she met her now partner Joe Worrell.
Joe, 28, had recently been discharged from the same treatment centre, which he had entered after 'hitting rock bottom' and 'begging his family for help'.
Joe said he used drugs daily before entering rehab on 8 April, and would rack up costs of at least £1,000 per week on the likes of cocaine and cannabis.
Their situations were so bad, the couple 'didn't think they would live to see the end of the year'.
"Joe had already completed his time at rehab and was volunteering to help the newcomers - which included me," Liv, from North Benfleet in Essex, said. "I saw him a few times, he would come into the rehab and do his volunteer days and tell us about life on the outside.
"As I was coming out of rehab we were going to the same meetings - it [our relationship] escalated from there."
Liv, who worked as a balloon and events business owner before her addiction, began using drugs recreationally in her teens but escalated to daily usage after a traumatic accident in 2023.
'Crippling' effects
"If I wasn't sedated by the ketamine then I was using more," she said.
"It was 24 hours a day, it was horrific. I had to be constantly topped up with ketamine just to make it through the days and the nights - which then became very dark and very isolated."
Liv is still feeling the 'crippling' physical effects of her ketamine binges, saying they are 'really quite severe and still ongoing' - but with the help of a specialist, she's taking steps to a longer road to recovery.
She added: "On a bad day sometimes I can't even go longer than 10 minutes [without needing to go to the toilet]. I was six stone in weight and as the ketamine was going through my bladder, it was stripping it out.
"I was passing blood clots the length of my finger, screaming in pain. It was terrifying."
'I begged for help'
Joe, from Gravesend in Kent, first started using drugs as a teenager and escalated to daily usage in adulthood.
He explained: "It varied every day, but it might be weed in the morning when I woke up, cocaine when I got to work and then weed after work.
"It was different every day but there would be some sort of drug. I was spending a minimum of £1,000 a week.
"I was at rock bottom, I had nothing going for me."
Joe said his 'whole life changed' when he went home to his mum and brother in April this year and 'begged' them for help. His family took him to rehab the following day.
"I was in rehab the next day, that was the end of my using and I'm very grateful that I had the supportive family I have waiting for me to say those words," he said.
'Don't suffer in silence'
Liv and Joe say their shared experience helps to keep each other motivated through the dark times.
"It's the one positive thing which has come from a really dark time," Liv said.
"It was the most unexpected thing that I think either of us would have expected to come out of the year."
The couple have been sober since leaving rehab, and through their TikTok videos are trying to help others get through their darkest days of addiction, saying they are 'living proof' that 'recovery is possible'.
"If you want to get help, the help is out there. Don't suffer in silence," Liv added.
"It's a disease and although we'll never be cured, we can find a manageable way to live our lives without using drugs."
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.
Topics: Health, Mental Health, Social Media, TikTok, Drugs
Ellis Whitehouse