A 27-year-old mother, Amber Currah, originally from Morecambe, Lancashire, has shared her harrowing journey through ketamine addiction, which has led to severe health issues requiring a bladder transplant. Amber's experience with the class B drug began at the age of 17 during a night out with friends, but quickly spiralled into a severe addiction as she consumed an alarming 25 grams of ketamine weekly within just four months.
Amber revealed her rapid descent into addiction by stating, "I first tried it when I was 17 on a night out with friends. I tried it and actually didn't like it, I felt like a zombie," she explained. "I just kept taking it now and then over a couple of years then ended up liking it. It was a gradual thing." By the age of 21, she was using the drug daily, and her dependency intensified to the extent that she would wake up in the night to take more.
The implications of Amber's drug intake were grave. Chronic ketamine use can severely damage the bladder’s lining, resulting in a range of complications such as incontinence, infections, and an increased urge to urinate. Amber recounted her struggles, noting that she spent up to four hours a day on the toilet and eight hours in the bath to manage her constant discomfort. "I started feeling like I had a pretty severe UTI and didn’t think it was anything to do with ket," she said.
Amber also disclosed her increasing incontinence, revealing, "For five years now, I’ve been fully incontinent. I wet the bed every single night." Her condition escalated to the point where she was once stuck on the toilet for 26 hours due to severe pain, leading her mother to bring her a duvet and pillow for comfort.
Despite ceasing ketamine use in summer 2023 after an eight-year battle, Amber continues to face debilitating health challenges. Medical examinations have revealed that her bladder has shrunk to one-fifth of its normal size, necessitating a surgical intervention known as a neobladder, which involves creating a new bladder from a section of the bowel. "They put a camera up my bladder and said it's an absolute mess," she noted. Doctors have recommended the removal of her bladder, highlighting the severity of her condition. "Straight away, [the doctors] said your bladder needs to come out. That’s how I knew it was an absolute mess," she explained.
Currently on the waiting list for the procedure, Amber remains unable to work and leads a life significantly altered by her addiction, stating, "Ketamine ruined my life." She openly expresses her regret and fervently urges others to avoid the drug, sharing, "If I could prevent anyone from touching ketamine again, I would. I regret ever taking that first line at 17." Amber's account indicates not only the physical toll that substance abuse can exert but also the long-lasting impacts on one’s quality of life.
Source: Noah Wire Services