'Ketamine left me needing a bladder transplant'

Amber Currah wants to raise awareness of the dangers of using ketamine

A young mother has told how using ketamine left her in need of a bladder transplant and has urged other users to seek help.

Amber Currah wants to raise awareness of the dangers of using the powerful anaesthetic - which can be prescribed medically - as a recreational drug.

It can cause serious and sometimes permanent damage to the bladder, alongside a range of other complications.

The 27-year-old from Morecambe, Lancashire, said: "It got to the point where I realised bladder damage was starting but the only thing that would take away the pain was [to keep taking] ketamine."

Ms Currah said she started taking the drug because "it calmed my mind which is why I found it so addictive".

Lancashire County Council said it was supporting a growing number of families affected by ketamine addiction

She said: "It got to the point where I was taking it that much, and then the pain was coming with it and I just thought 'what the hell am I doing?' and I realised I need to sort my life out, I don't want to be like this for the rest of my life.

"I don't want to be a drug addict, that's not who I am.

"I'm just a normal girl, from a normal place who just happened to get hooked on a drug and a lot of people don't realise how common that is."

Twenty months ago she stopped, but said she is "still living with the consequences".

"I'm still in pain, it hurts me to walk, I'm wearing incontinence pads every day," she said.

"Because I've been off it that long and I'm still like this, I just want people to know how bad it can really get."

Finlay Worthington now runs a support group in Burnley

Finlay Worthington, from Burnley, was also addicted to ketamine and is urging others to seek help.

The 25-year-old now runs a support group, Ketamine Education Services, in the town.

He said the its use is widespread and "I personally talk to 100 to 150 people a week who are either taking ket or are affected by it".

He said he first tried it in 2018 "as a little bit of curiosity".

"I didn't like it the first few times I took it, but it did what it said on the tin, it disassociated me from reality and that gravitated me towards it," he said.

"Over time you start taking more and more and you're not seeing the health consequences straight away.

"Still to this day, I pass blood and my bladder can still be really painful.

"It's not a case of put the drug down and everything will go back to normal. This stuff can be life-changing."

Lancashire County Council said it was supporting a growing number of families affected by ketamine addiction.

The authority said it was "dedicated to supporting children and young people affected by ketamine use in our community".

It added: "We will continue to work tirelessly to address the challenges posed by ketamine use and to provide the necessary support to those in need."