Addiction & Mental Health Resources

Introduction

Ketamine has become the generation-defining drug for young Brits. A report from November 2020, stated 1-in-30 young people admitted to taking the drug in the past year – the highest number since records began and far more than other countries in Europe. The latest figures also suggest that ketamine is now the fourth drug of choice for young people behind cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine. There is a certain cognitive dissonance at the heart of Generation K: On the one hand, we see it as a silly, wonky horse tranquilliser. On the other hand, it is literally a horse tranquilliser… A horse tranquilliser that can make you piss blood. As it has grown in popularity, so have bladder injuries and addictions. In this report, Matt Shea gets deep into the UK’s Generation K, and finds out how a party drug can go too far. [Taken from YT description]

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Quotes

“Ketamine has become the generation-defining drug for young Brits. Use has risen 30% year on year, mainly driven by 16 to 24-year-olds. It’s no longer an underground choice. This strange, powerful drug is as mainstream as coke or E.”

“Of course, when you do a lot of K, then you get K-Holes. I see it personally as, like, that line between being conscious and unconscious. It transports you to another literally just, like, space and time.”

“Ket’s kind of become a staple of our generation, especially in the UK. It’s just so versatile. I think that’s one of the biggest things about it. It can be a party drug, a sedative, it can be a very introspective thing.”

“Bristol is basically the spiritual home of ketamine. It’s where there’s more ketamine seizures than anywhere else in the UK. It all started in the 80s when some Bristol hippies were backpacking around India and realized that you could buy it over the counter there, and you can make tons of money if you brought it back to the UK. And now it’s one of the most popular drugs in the free party scene here. There’s even a term that people use, “Bristol bladder,” to refer to the erosion of the bladder wall from prolonged ketamine use.”

“In the last five years, it’s rivaling cocaine on the party scene. You can sell hundreds of grams in a week. People have started to buy it more and more as the cheaper drug of choice.

“One in four people who use ketamine, even once a month, have some kind of bladder symptom. When ketamine enters the bladder, it damages the epithelial cells of the bladder lining. These umbrella-shaped cells are designed to contain urine .But if they become too damaged, urine can seep through, damaging the inner layers of the bladder wall. This can scar the bladder’s muscles, reducing its ability to expand. Symptoms can include frequent peeing, pain, and blood in urine. Because ketamine is a painkiller, though, heavy users often don’t notice. While many people believe cooking the ketamine reduces bladder damage, your kidneys don’t care if it’s crystal, powder, or liquid. If you stop using it frequently, the bladder will almost always repair itself, but a small minority will need their bladders removed.”