Like many other drugs, ketamine has ‘street’ names – you may have heard ketamine being referred to as ‘Ket’, ‘Cat Valium’, ‘Vitamin K’, ‘Special K’, or simply ‘K’. [i]
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic that is often used as a party drug, despite being a class B drug and illegal for recreational use in the UK (according to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971[ii]). Ketamine is often used in veterinary settings by veterinarians as well as in the medical field as an anaesthetic and analgesic.
However, ketamine can be an addictive substance, and frequent ketamine use may lead to you developing a dependence on the drug. If you think that you or a loved one may be addicted to ketamine, contact us today.
At Help4Addiction, we have relationships with rehab clinics all around England and Wales and can help to find the best treatment centre and treatment plan for you.
Start your recovery journey with us today and call us to discuss your treatment options – and read on to learn more about ketamine addiction and the drug rehab process.
What is Ketamine Addiction?
Ketamine, like other drugs and substances such as cocaine, opioids, and alcohol, can be addictive.
This is because it has a similar chemical structure to drugs such as amphetamines or cocaine, and alters your brain’s chemistry in a similar way.
Because of the way that ketamine affects your brain, you may develop a purely psychological dependence on ketamine – meaning you’ll feel the need to take more of the drug to feel the same effects or the desired effects.
In terms of drug addiction, addiction is defined as having a lack of control over taking a substance – despite the negative consequences it may have on different aspects of your life. [iii]
This means that if you have a ketamine addiction, you may continue taking the drug despite being aware of the physical health risks, social risks, financial risks, and mental health risks.
Because ketamine is no less dangerous than other hard drugs, it was moved from a Class C to a Class B drug in 2014. [iv]
Ketamine Addiction vs Ketamine Abuse
If you have an addiction to ketamine, chances are, you abuse ketamine. However, one can abuse ketamine without being addicted to it.
Some people use the two terms interchangeably – but substance abuse and substance addiction have different meanings. Substance abuse and substance addiction both fall under substance use disorder.
Ketamine abuse is essentially using ketamine in a way other than recommended. You may become moody or irritable if you abuse ketamine, and you may stop partaking in hobbies that you once enjoyed.
Unlike ketamine abuse, ketamine addiction is a diagnosable brain disease (according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse). Drug addiction is often the result of drug abuse.
Ketamine Withdrawal Symptoms
If you are a regular or chronic ketamine user, then you may develop a dependence on ketamine in time.
This means that you’ll feel the need to take more of the drug to feel the same effects. If you stop taking the drug, you may experience drug cravings as well as other uncomfortable symptoms.
Ketamine causes a primarily psychological dependence – meaning that you’ll feel the mental effects or psychological effects when you withdraw from the drug.
Although not scientifically proven, some users have reported feeling physical withdrawal symptoms when detoxing or withdrawing from ketamine.
Withdrawal symptoms can vary from person to person and can be affected by factors such as your height and weight, the severity of your addiction, and your history of substance abuse.
Some of the most common ketamine withdrawal symptoms include:
- Mood swings
- Intense depression
- Suicidal thoughts
- Nightmares
- Hallucinations
- Aggression
- Intense cravings
- Confusion
- Paranoia
- Insomnia
Some of these withdrawal symptoms can be particularly debilitating and dangerous, which is why ketamine rehab is so important.
If you experience severe depression, you may experience suicidal thoughts. This is why many people choose to withdraw from ketamine in a medically supervised environment – for example, a residential drug rehab clinic.
Ketamine Addiction Treatment
Getting treatment for your ketamine addiction is the best thing you can do. If left untreated, ketamine can present some serious physical health issues and mental health problems.
If you snort ketamine (take it nasally), then you can end up damaging your sinuses and your nasal passageways, ultimately affecting the structure of your nose.
If you inject ketamine, you can end up damaging your muscles, skin, veins, and even your internal organs.
You may also be at a higher risk of blood infections and other infectious diseases. Frequent ketamine use can also lead to heart attacks, organ failure, and even death.
However, it isn’t just your physical health you need to worry about. If you don’t undergo ketamine addiction treatment or stop ketamine use, then your ketamine use can result in irreversible psychological impairment, affecting your memory and thought processes.
At Help4Addicton, we can find you the right treatment for ketamine addiction for you and your circumstances.
With clinics located around England and Wales, we can help you to find your local drug rehab centre for ketamine addiction if you wish to seek treatment for drug addiction.
Professional treatment is almost always recommended for ketamine addiction treatment – and detoxing from ketamine cold turkey can be dangerous.
We can find you a 7-day rehab program, a 14-day program, or a 28-day program – whether it be on a residential basis (inpatient), or an outpatient basis.
The Rehab Process
Although different rehab clinics may have different systems in place, almost all drug treatment centres follow the same structure.
The rehab treatment process usually begins with detox, then therapy, and finally, aftercare/ secondary treatment.
Detox
Ketamine detox can be difficult but is generally made easier when you’re in the right environment.
During this stage, you may experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms – chronic users especially. However, the ketamine detox process is a crucial part of the ketamine addiction treatment process.
Unlike the rest of the ketamine rehab addiction treatment process, detox focuses primarily on the physical aspect of addiction – more specifically, withdrawal and intoxication.
The detox process alone doesn’t focus on the social, psychological, and behavioural aspects of ketamine addiction. [v]
Therapy
Once you have successfully detoxed from ketamine, you will undergo rehab therapy – typically with an addiction specialist, a qualified counsellor, or a psychiatrist.
Depending on your rehab centre of choice, you may be offered individual therapy on a one to one basis or group therapy.
Therapy can teach you valuable coping mechanisms, as well as give you a further understanding of your addiction (e.g your triggers, the root causes, etc). A common form of therapy in rehab is CBT – cognitive behavioural therapy.
If you attend a private rehab, you may be offered holistic therapies such as sports therapy or art therapy.
Aftercare
Your treatment won’t usually end as you leave the rehab centre – you may wish to continue your treatment on an outpatient basis, whether it be by attending support groups, group therapy, or further counselling with addiction counsellors.
Secondary treatment can streamline the recovery process. Aftercare can be effective in not only helping you break free of your addiction but helping you to avoid relapse – ultimately living a healthy and drug-free life.
[i] https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/ketamine.pdf
[ii] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ketamine
[iii] https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/advice-for-the-families-of-drug-users/
