At the enormous Birchwood detox and rehab facility on the outskirts of Liverpool, U.K., Manager Jo Moore said that five years ago they had just one patient a year referred for inpatient treatment for ketamine addiction.

In January 2026, Birchwood had 112 referrals for ketamine addiction in one month alone!

The news comes from an expose written by BBC health correspondent, Jenny Rees. She reports that people seeking treatment from the NIH for ketamine addiction increased 12-fold in the last decade. Approximately 264,000 people in the U.K. between the ages of 16-59 are currently receiving treatment for ketamine addiction.

In the U.S., ketamine abuse burst into the news with the Cornell University gang rape investigation, where Jane Doe, the alleged victim, claims she was coerced into consuming the drug. In the U.S., ketamine poisoning incidents doubled from 2019 to 2023, based on calls to poison control centers. 

As a side note, isn’t it sad that the U.K. stats are based on people seeking or receiving treatment for ketamine addiction, and the U.S. stats are based on family members calling poison control? It’s simply too difficult for Americans to just walk into a clinic, get a referral, and enter into treatment for substance use disorders.

Ketamine is a drug synthesized in the laboratory that has been used as an anesthetic for decades. It was reclassified as a Class B drug in the U.K. in 2014, making it illegal to manufacture, sell, possess, or use. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the nasal spray esketamine for the treatment of depression that is non-responsive to standard treatment. That has led to doctors prescribing it for all sorts of off-label uses, including the treatment of anxiety and stress.

Ketamine acts within minutes if inhaled or injected. It results in “a sense of detachment from oneself or one’s surroundings,” according to Dr. Christopher P. Holstege, a professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the University of Virginia. Small doses wear off quickly, usually within hours. Large doses can induce coma.

Consumption of large amounts can cause delirium, amnesia, and “potentially fatal breathing problems,” according to Dr. Holstege. Matthew Perry, star of the hit television show Friends, died from acute ketamine effects and drowning in his hot tub in 2023.

Long-term use can result in “memory problems and chronic pain, bladder damage and kidney failure,” according to Dr. Darren Quelch, a senior research fellow at the University of South Wales. The BBC interviewed one patient who said she was using ketamine “all day, every day,” resulting in borderline personality disorder.

She lost her job and took another position working nights. She relied on ketamine to keep her awake during her shift and also on her days off. The results of four years of heavy ketamine use:

For the last two years she has been in agony, unable to stand straight and needing to wear incontinence pads.

When she arrived at Birchwood at the age of 22, she didn’t care if she lived or died. A 25-year-old patient felt the same way after snorting ketamine caused “the collapse of his nose.” He said he envied people his age who could walk without pain. He said the impacts of his ketamine addiction completely destroyed his self-confidence, “which leads to more drugs, because that just blanked out what I think of myself.”

Ketamine use is difficult for medical professionals to uncover. Patients are often not forthright. The drug is not detected in most urine screens. Doctors are reluctant to ask patients about their substance use. The condition often goes untreated until it can no longer be ignored.

Jo Moore at Birchwood says she sees some signs of hope. “We’re seeing less people presenting to services with a new substance use of ketamine — so the education in schools, colleges and universities is actually working.” 

In the U.S., Dr. Holstege at UVA is not so confident. “The availability of these drugs in the U.S., including on college campuses, has risen sharply,” he writes. “Without more active education and prevention efforts, as well as better detection methods for these drugs, students will continue to pay the price.”

Written by Steve O’Keefe. First published October 27, 2026.

Sources:

“‘I started ketamine at 14 and needed nappies at 22’ — the rise of young people going to rehab,” BBC, October 20, 2026.

“Ketamine’s role in alleged Cornell rape highlights flood of psychoactive drugs on campus,” The Conversation, October 15, 2026.

“Why Drug Companies Are Rushing to Market Ketamine Medicines,” The New York Times, October 2026.

“Stacey Dooley: Down the K Hole review — the grim reality of ketamine abuse,” The Times, October 20, 2026. 

Image Copyright: iakovenko.