08 July 2026
* Joey’s name has been changed to protect his privacy
Like a lot of teenagers, Joey experimented with drugs growing up, but he’d never tried ketamine.
That changed during COVID.
Stuck inside with nothing to do, curiosity and boredom got the better of him, and he decided to try it for the first time.
“I thought I’d just do a bit. So I did a bit. To be honest, I didn’t even like it that much.”
He went on to use ketamine recreationally with friends at house parties and raves. Then, in early 2023, his relationship of four years ended.
“I felt a shell of myself,” he says. “I just wanted to shut the world off.”
What started as occasional use became more frequent and increasingly antisocial. In just a few months, he couldn’t go 48 hours without it. If he tried, he’d become anxious and irritable - a far cry from the calm, chilled-out person he describes himself as. He stopped turning in for work, disappearing for weeks at a time, locking himself away in his bedroom.
“I didn’t want to be in my own body. I didn’t want to live the life I was living,” he says. “My social circle was gone. The only person I had was myself and my girlfriend, and then half the time I’d turn my phone off and just ignore everyone.”
Alongside his mental health, his physical health began to deteriorate too. While he’d heard about the physical harms associated with ketamine use, he didn’t think it would happen to him.
I’d probably seen it on my phone - bladder problems, person dies from ket. But I’d just ignore it and think, I'm not using it enough, that’s not going to happen to me.
Ketamine bladder syndrome left him unable to control his bladder. He was in and out of hospital. He lost a lot of weight.
From the outside, nobody really knew what he was going through.
“When you’re in it, you feel like you’re the only person in the world going through it. But in reality, there are thousands and thousands of people struggling. You just can’t see them, because nobody says anything.
His dad, with whom he was living at the time, was the first to reach out to WithYou in Wigan and Leigh. Diane, a transitional recovery worker, visited him at home.
“I didn’t know much about it because I was always off my head. But Diane just showed up at the house one day, and we had a talk. I can’t remember what I said, to be honest. But I just remember Diane coming round and ever since then, she came around every few days and checked up on me.”
After a short while, Joey was offered a place at a residential rehab.
“I was really reluctant for the rehab, to be honest, because I thought I could just stop whenever I wanted,“ he says. “I did twelve weeks in rehab. Then, when I came home, I did it [ketamine] again. So my dad kicked me out, and then I was homeless.”
He stayed with a friend for a while, but got asked to leave because of his substance use. He spent time in a youth homeless hub. Slept in his car. Spent a night in a police cell.
“I was lonely. I was hungry. I just felt like I didn’t belong anywhere.”
Through all of it, Diane stayed in contact. She never gave up on him.
In September 2025, Joey’s grandmother passed away. The loss of someone close to him prompted him to reflect on his situation.
“It just made me think about life a bit,” he says. “I had to think of the bigger picture, really, for myself, for my future. I want children and grandchildren one day, and the way I was going, I was going to be dead by the time I was there anyway.”
He got back in touch with Diane. Within a week, he’d had his health checks done. Eight weeks and a short detox later, he entered treatment at Birchwood @ Kaleidoscope House, a residential treatment facility in the Wirral.
“I was definitely ready,” he says. “I think I needed that year of suffering and moving from place to place to know just how bad it could get.”
This time, his experience of rehab was different. He describes those 12 weeks as ‘peaceful.’ Living alongside others who’d been through similar things made him feel less alone for the first time in years.
“I was finally with people who experienced similar stuff. Just being understood.”
He also appreciated the routine rehab gave him.
“I needed a strict environment like that,” he says. “It has to be like that. ‘Cause you need to understand that you can’t have everything you want when you want it, ‘cause that’s not how life works.”
Six months on, Joey is back living with his dad, supported by his girlfriend and a close-knit group of friends. He’s back to a healthy weight, and his bladder has recovered significantly.
He recently went to a football match and didn’t need to leave his seat once to use the loo. Something that would have been unthinkable a year ago.
“I feel whole. I feel like myself again,” he says. “It’s amazing. I can’t believe how much better I feel in my body. I couldn’t imagine that 6 to 12 months ago.
He is also hoping to volunteer to support other young people affected by ketamine.
I’ve been through it myself. So if I could see someone in the situation I was in, I could identify with them. I could see what would help.
Diane still checks in every week. Joey knows she’s there if he needs her.
He also knows the thoughts don’t disappear overnight. He still catches himself sometimes. He stops, reminds himself, and carries on.
“When I think about where I was six months ago and where I am now, it feels amazing. To have a proper conversation with my family. To have a real connection again. I feel blessed, but at the same time I’m very proud.”
If you or someone you know needs support with drugs or alcohol, the WithYou in Wigan and Leigh team are here to help. Their online ketamine support group meets every Thursday, 5:30pm-6:30pm, via Google Meet.
Find out more about our free, confidential support in Wigan and Leigh at wearewithyou.org.uk/local-hubs/wigan-and-leigh