Break The Chain Podcast #37 - Consequences of Ketamine Addiction with Josh Rhodes
Vložit
- čas přidán 13. 05. 2024
- In this episode, I talk to my friend Josh Rhodes about ketamine addiction, its consequences, harm reduction,, and the journey to sobriety.
As many people will know ketamine has some heavy consequences when paired up with addiction and excessive usage. If you are interested in this then skip to the end where we also talk about harm reduction. We decided to wait until the end because they can be difficult to talk about.
Josh suffered from "K bladder" (bladder cystitis). The symptoms were severe and would cause him to pass urine and jelly-like substances in his urine. He had multiple operations to address this problem including a cancer scare. He has now managed to start a new life where he only occasionally uses when he goes home to where he suffered the worst with his addiction (around 3 times a year) and his bladder situation has improved considerably.
We also discuss other effects such as K-cramps, the nature of addiction, social, financial, family problems.
Ketamine’s effects when abused. (This is an absolute guess but based on what I have observed. 2+ grams per day consistently can cause these problems. Everyone is different and some manifest symptoms way sooner. Not likely to happen from mild usage and has been proven safe to use in medical and clinical circumstances.)
-bladder walls become thickened and lose elasticity. Potential cystitis, and ulceration.
-urinary tract (urine in the blood)
-extremely painful to pass urine
-back pain
-blocked kidneys
-kidneys can become damaged due to increased pressure caused by shrunken bladder
-potential kidney failure
-incontinence
-bladder cystitis
-shrunken bladder (50ml)
-thickened bladder walls
-scarred bladder
If you stop using most cases show a dramatic improvement within 3 months.
Some of our harm reduction tips are:
-Cook the ket into powder and avoid using it in crystal form.
-Drink plenty of water even before bed. It may seem counterintuitive but it will help your bladder to be less irritated.
-Before bed or even during the day, sniff water before bed to clear out nostrils to prevent damage to your nose.
-Don’t swallow the chemical into the stomach.
-Eat well and try to take care of yourself the best you can.
Most of all make a proactive move towards getting into recovery - don’t stay in the dark.
Amazing.
It’s refreshing to hear the honesty and the true consequences of addition to ketamine.
I personally know Josh and as he said he is a humble person and this couldn’t agree with this more.
Going through ketamine bladder right now. Been a heavy user for about 2 years now. I've always just had K cramps but they would go away eventually and I'd continue to use.
But now the pain is in my bladder and it's unbearable. I've finally come to the decision that I need to stop and I need to get my life back.
Thank you for this podcast and thank you both for sharing your story.
You’re welcome and sorry to hear that you are having such a rough ride. If we can help with ideas to get and stay sober feel free to send us a message anytime. @breakthechainworldmission
Good luck my friend 😄
Good luck, I was using for months and the k cramps hurt alot but taking more k numbed the pain, vicious cycle. Ended up losing my driving licence and job in the end. I should of quit when the signs were there. Good luck bro EDIT - he mentions this around 1450, great podcast
Thank you for this genuinely.
You're welcome :) All the best to you
Zombies in front of a rig , that's not the first time I've heard that description
Being a girlfriend of an addict, just getting out of that relationship is painful. I so feel you guys are amazingly honest and humble. Thank you for sharing and talking so openly. 🙏🏽
Thank you James for it.
You’re welcome mate 🙂🙏
Big up the both of you
As a recovering addict, this podcast was incredibly helpful. To know I am not alone. At times your stories were 'painfully' relatable, but in a good way. Luckily, I have only been properly addicted (daily use) for a few months. it started with self-medicating because of PTSD. Maybe a future episode could also include underlying mental issues, at least my recovery process goed hand-in-hand with addressing these. Thank you so much and kind regards from the Netherlands :)
Hi Mel,
I am really pleased that you found it helpful and it is amazing that you are trying to address the issue after only a few months of regular use. You have far more chance of turning it around easily at the beginning. Don't hesitate to reach out if you want any ideas about how to do that :)
I did do a couple of episodes that might be what you are talking about with underlying issues. Both address PTSD one from a clinical angle and the other from personal experience.
czcams.com/video/uAx_pD3ya7I/video.html
czcams.com/video/ItAAdUeokZw/video.html
Well done guys 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼💯💗💪🏻
Thank you 😌🙏
Thank you so much for doing this. I'm currently struggling with Ketamine addiction, and I'm researching all about it and the best way to quit. Not a lot of resources out there on Ketamine. Stumbled upon this video and found it extremely relatable and motiving to quit.
I've acknowledged the early stages of my addiction and it has helped me make better decisions. I've gone 5 days without Ketamine and all went well till the 5th day... the mental battle is so real. Not going to give up this battle anytime soon though - so that's a good thing I guess
Thanks for taking the time to leave a message Daniel. I am really sorry to hear that you are struggling with addiction. It blows my mind how little information there is out there on it.
If you want any help or advice on overcoming addiction I am always happy to assist you on that journey because I know it's not easy. Feel free to drop us a message on social media (Instagram is the easiest) @breakthechainworldmission.
All the best mate and praying for your swift recovery :)
24:50 Yes, they're doing Ketamine infusions for depression. The dose is pretty heavy though if you don't have a tolerance.
But the thing is, Ketamine has an immediate and a longer term anti-depressive effects, if you use daily, you won't get the sustained mental health benefits.
I've been using about 500mg/month for the past few years, worked well, but started waning. Recently I figured out, that due to my petite physique I should only have done 300mg/month, now I'm a bit pissed off that the doctors in my country can't prescribe it or crunch the numbers with me for my clandestine use.
Fun fact - I started doing K when my doc wanted to put me on lithium, which is even worse for the kidneys 🤣
Moving away definitely sounds like it's worked out well for you.
I'm suffering with K addiction myself, I do not want to move away because the people I have around me are all I have in life.
Not sure what it's going to take, something has to be done just not sure how.
Addiction sucks.
Thanks for the video, you guys are inspirational.
Sometimes taking a step into the unknown is scary. At one time I felt the same and was scared to leave behind my friends and lifestyle in the fear that I would be nothing without them. Now looking back it is the best thing I ever did. However, moving geographically doesn't solve addiction but if you make wise choices it can give you the break you need to figure out what to do about it. The best thing that I can recommend is finding some sort of 12-step program and getting involved. Some places do residential programs between 8 weeks and a year sometimes which can be totally transformational and give you freedom from dependence on intoxication. It is not an easy thing to do but from experience, it is practically impossible to get clean whilst in the same environment. Best of luck to you my friend :)
struggling at the minute with an awful addiction to ketamine, I’ve lost my friends my partner and am slowly loosing the faith of my family as well, my body is absolutely ruined from it as well, im hoping to go to rehab for a couple of months, ketamine is such a difficult drug to get away from mentally more than anything and it needs more awareness 100 percent, so glad Josh is clean now, hoping I’ll get there some day
I'm so sorry to hear that you are in that position Kate. It's a nightmare and seems impossible to get out until you have but you can 100% do it. If you want any support with ideas for rehab, the process of recovery or just moral support please don't hesitate to get in touch. The easiest ways are via Instagram @breakthechainworldmission or email breakthechain.life@gmail.com. I wish you the absolute best of luck with your recovery! :)
66 days off ket today. Addiction is a bollix and I know quite a few other people who also have/had problems with k. It can be so mentally addictive and does a fucking number on you. Big up to you guys for being so open about it and glad to hear you’re doing well.
It certainly does! Wow, 66 days is so rad. Well done and wishing you the absolute best of luck with your recovery :D
Ketamine kills the mind.
Man something I need to watch and is pretty triggered by this but I'm done doing a bottle of k intermusculer by myself. It was turning monster on me. Thanks for the talk and channel. Take care ppl
I can't even imagine how difficult it is watching that whilst still using. You must be very determined to stop if you watched it though :) Best of luck to you my friend and feel free to reach out if you need any help.
@@breakthechain2645 I watched as much a possible then fell asleep. Thanks I will stay in touch and tune in when I get a notification. I'm very determined but I know how subtle ketamine is and it can call you in so lightly. I used to work in the drug field for 6 years and see alot of it never took heed to what was to come with it. I was introduced to ketlar vials and was off to the races. Pfffff it's very suductive that compound. I mean iv done other class a drugs and it's a whole different kind of ball game. Thanks
@@alexisaac1554 Absolutely, I didn't even like it to start with. Quite the opposite. Once you lose yourself in its world it's not easy. You can do it though!
@@breakthechain2645 yeah it's a crazy one just glad it's been a rough few days to say the least. I'm glad I'm not using it just for today. That's all we have is today.
Ket really helps with my depression but it's definitely tough to control for me.
It definitely seemed to help with my depression short term as well. The long term consequences are very unfortunate.
I think weed has had a huge impact on ppl my age from uk in there 30s
Rewatching this for the second time as ive recently relapsed on ketamine and I gotta say I relate so much with you guys. I have a couple questions, how long were you actively using ketamine and from what age till when? Also any tips for getting clean?
I laughed when you said about flushing the ket and buying more the next day as I have done this too many times to count!
Thanks for the great content :)
Hey Josiah, I'm really sorry to hear that you have relapsed. I was using Ketamine heavily from 17 until 23 then I had 10 months off then heavily again for another year and a half. I got away and got addicted again in Australia but it was $200 a gram so it was a case of getting away from it of being homeless. I think the last time I ever used was about 2 years ago and that was a one-off but shortly after that, I decided I would never use any intoxication again. Josh started around the same time as me and had a few more years using heavily than I did.
Mate what a nightmare. You hate it so much and just want to sleep at 2am then the next morning all you want to do is get more. Insanity haha.
Please feel free to get in touch with us on social media @breakthechainworldmission or you can find me on Facebook under James Dear. Just look for the guy in the break the chain shirt.
@@breakthechain2645 wow! Am glad you boys got away from it in the end and are healthy. 7 years is a long time im surprised you still have your bladders
@@josiahking3708 Same. We have a lot of friends who are still on it after 15 years and I don’t have a clue how they do it. Pretty sure they can’t be in good shape now. A couple have had their bladders removed but I’m sure there will be more of they don’t make a change soon
Hi Josiah. For me I was from the age of 16 to the Age of 27 with a few breaks here and there when I went abroad etc. I think some peoples bladders are more susceptible than others but it gets everyone eventually. My bladder now is a million times better however still sensitive to various things like caffeine and alcohol but that’s something I can deal with very easily.
Take care brother
I've been using k to get off suboxone and it really helps, but I do have a hard time not just doing k every 20 min... But stopping k is miles easier for me than stopping opiates, so once I get over the suboxone withdrawal, I'll stop doing the k all together
That’s interesting. I’ve had friend who have been badly addicted to k and as soon as they tried Heroin they didn’t care much about the K anymore. The main problem with using it as a substitute will be the heavy consequences on the body but it sounds like you have a plan. Getting off opiates sounds like hell. Good luck with getting clean my friend.
@@breakthechain2645 I'm not planing on staying on k for very long at all, just to get through the hell withdrawal of the suboxone then I'm going to stop. In comparison to opiates, k is much easier to stop taking "for me"
Hmm, Ideally, you'd still only use like 200mg a week in this phase.
I've been doing it for years against depression, over 500mg/month causes more depression in the long run.
Don't people take like grams a day? I assume for opioid withdrawal you may have to go through a gram or so over a couple days for the acute phase. Is that bad? To do once?@@lrrrruleroftheplanetomicro6881
Is this on Spotify?
Hey Justin, yes it is on spotify
open.spotify.com/episode/07BehP2DkWkvkwHSSOE7JE?si=TIQtQkfPRn2GSpQq9eFpxw
👍
Bro I am on methadone and stopped heroin and crack 8 months ago and I’ve been using kett and it’s fucking horrible stuff
I used to be a fan but now I certainly agree with you!
@@breakthechain2645 any psychedelic can be extremely useful Iv taken ketamin lsd and Dmt I havnt tried mushrooms yet, Dmt was beautiful 🤩I felt god I really did understand life and what I learned was typical of what you hear man, my ego died a million deaths and your just left with your conscious and no distractions Al be it before you get there YOU WILL feel what insanity feels like, I just don’t think they are for everyday use that’s just another way for the govement to control thing and ultimately absolute power corrupts absalute sorry for the rant but I love psychedelics just not this idea that ohh the government controlling them like they always find a way of doing it angers me as you can tell lol rant over