Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing.
A man who once used 36g of ketamine in a day has opened up about the horrifying impact it had on his body.
Now, I'm no expert when it comes to drugs, but I've been on enough university night outs to know that ketamine is a popular one with the youth of today.
This Special K certainly isn't one you'd want to have for your breakfast, given that it can cause you to feel detached from your own body and can sometimes lead to hallucinations. However, it's becoming more and more popular as a recreational drug, despite its main purpose being as a horse tranquilliser and anaesthetic, as well as its devastating side effects.
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Speaking with LADbible Stories in 2024, recovering drug addict and public speaker Thomas Delaney revealed the horrifying symptoms he was experiencing after taking around 36g of ketamine the day before he started his rehab.
He said: "I was a ketamine addict for about 10 or 11 years. For me, that had dreadful effects [on my body]. I nearly lost my bladder. My kidneys and my liver almost packed in. I lost half my body weight at the time, I went down to about six stone. Ketamine has profound effects and a lot of them are quite embarrassing.
"When I would go to the toilet, I would pass chunks, which I later found out were chunks from the lining of my bladder, which sounds absolutely disgusting. I used to pass blood and chunks. I used to pass out. The thing with ketamine is that it sticks to the lining of your bladder and scars it, which prevents your bladder from expanding and contracting."
Delaney also explained what a 'K-hole' is.
He said: "[It's] where you take too much ketamine and you sort of trip out into another place in the universe. It's also probably where you're most vulnerable to an attack or to any abuse that you may have(...).
"And also, I've been in thousands of ket-holes and I never enjoyed a single one of them."
People have varying experiences of a 'K-hole', Healthline explains. For some, it can be enjoyable, but others have likened it to a 'near-death experience'.
"Different things can affect how you experience a K-hole, including how much you take, whether you mix it with alcohol or other substances, and your surroundings", the website states.
Risks of taking ketamine include 'vomiting, addiction, urinary problems, including cystitis and kidney failure, liver failure, slow heart rate, slow breathing', and 'death by overdose'.
Ketamine can also have some permanent effects on the body. Former adult star Emily Willis was left permanently disabled after taking the drug, while another young woman calims her bladder is now 'the size of a shot glass' after spending £1,000 a month on the drug.
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: Drugs, Health, Mental Health
James Moorhouse