'I would only get out of bed to see a dealer before going home to sniff'
By 19, Emily, from Hoylake, was snorting up to 14 grams of ketamine daily, spending roughly £60 to feed her habit, leading her to abandon her education. Now five months sober, she's sharing her story to highlight the drug's prevalence among the youth, describing its use as "the norm".
Speaking to the ECHO, Emily recounted: "I went to school and got my 10 GCSEs. When I left, I became friends with a new group, and that's just what they were into.
"It got to a point where I was taking it every day. I've got ADHD and I was undiagnosed at the time. My mind runs so quickly. When I took ket everything slowed down.
"I felt like a failure with every step I went through in life. I was clever in school, but I could never sustain it when I got to exams. I couldn't keep up with education, I couldn't keep up with work, and I was having run-ins with the police. I was so depressed, I honestly thought I'd never escape it and I'd never be happy without it.
"The last few months before rehab were getting out of bed to see a dealer and then coming back home and sniffing in my room. That was it."
In April 2024, Emily dropped out of sixth form so ketamine could become "more accessible". She said: "Drugs weren't really a thing in sixth form. I ended up going to a [different college] with a friend who also used.
"I dropped out a few months in because I couldn't afford to feed my addiction. I started working full-time, swapping jobs, and then I went on sick leave for a couple of months.
"Eventually I went back to work because sick pay wasn't cutting it and I couldn't afford my drugs anymore."
Despite suffering from an array of health issues, including a shrunken bladder, limited liver functioning, and even being told she was at risk of kidney failure, Emily continued to use, sniffing a daily dose of up to half an ounce of ketamine.
However, the teenager never thought she had a problem. She said: "I thought it's what everyone does. When you're an addict, your brain does anything to tell you you're not an addict.
"If you're sitting in a room full of people who are also addicts, and you keep behaving like you don't have a problem by using together, you'll never realise that you actually do have a problem. And people also don't realise they have a problem because literally everyone does it. It's normal.
"I only started realising I had a problem the last time I went on sick pay, a month before I went to rehab. I realised I wasn't able to maintain any kind of normal life while being addicted to ket.
"Nothing was conducive to a normal lifestyle. I didn't sleep in the night; I slept in the day. I was living in my bed; I wouldn't shower, wouldn't get dressed. I wouldn't want to speak to anyone unless they were other users.
"My life was just a big mess. I just knew I couldn't live like that anymore. But it was difficult because I couldn't go to one of my friends and tell them I had a problem. They were all addicts too."
Emily said the streets of Liverpool are heavily infiltrated with ketamine. "It definitely is a crisis," she said. "The price has gone so much cheaper; you don't know what it's being bashed with.
"It's everywhere. If I walked into Liverpool, I'd be able to spot numerous people who are on ket or people I used to use with. That's just the way it is right now."
In February this year, Emily began a rehabilitation program at Birchwood Rehab in Heswall, which she says has been "amazing". Now five months clean, Emily wants to help other young people who are in the grip of an addiction.
When asked what advice she would give to other young addicts, Emily said: "I think it's important for people to understand that when you're an addict, you can't just put down a drug and stay clean; it doesn't work like that.
"You have to change every aspect of your life. It's about looking at your spirituality and learning to do these small things, which will boost your mood. That's what helps you stay in recovery. I'd really recommend fellowship groups and engagement services.
"Try to distance yourself from people who use. I've cut contact with people I know who used. There is some kind of hope out there. I'm sitting here, and I'm nearly five months clean. I never thought I would see that day. I thought I'd be using it until I die, or until I end my life. That's where I was at; I was just miserable. It sucked all the life out of me."
In Liverpool, councillors have said the region is in the grip of a 'ketamine crisis'. According to the Office for National Statistics, 2.9% of 16 to 24-year-olds reported using ketamine between April 2023 and March 2024. This was down slightly from the previous year, when usage levels hit a record 3.8% for the age group.
In January, the Home Office said it would seek expert advice on reclassifying the drug from its current controlled Class B status to the more serious Class A. Currently, the maximum penalty for supplying and producing ketamine is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
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