Long-term chronic ketamine use has a devastating impact on the mind. Therefore, it is crucial to address the psychological issues that were the cause of abuse. Full recovery is possible, and ketamine addiction is best overcome in an inpatient treatment facility. Although ketamine is highly addictive, there are no physical withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it after regular use. However this addiction to ketamine is a lot harder than it sounds as there will be a psychological dependency.

 

When you add the potential withdrawal symptoms, this all makes it very difficult to quit using willpower alone. It is possible to successfully treat addiction, however, using evidence-led treatments developed through study and experience. Depending on the severity of their use, your friend or loved one may experience withdrawal symptoms when quitting ketamine. You must be aware of what could happen to them so that you’re equipped to support them and, if needed, to seek medical attention on their behalf.

 

The short-term effects induced by ketamine vary from person to person. While one individual might take the substance and feel relaxed, another may find their motor functions severely impacted, leaving them rigid and unable to move. Some individuals also use ketamine to self-medicate, finding that this detachment from reality provides an escape from psychological symptoms that are having a negative impact on their daily lives. However, the relief that comes from this substance is very short-lived, which can often propel users to take more ketamine in shorter intervals.

Although ketamine is not physically addictive, it is still possible to get addicted. People who are addicted to ketamine have developed a ‘psychological dependence’, whereby they feel hooked on the drug, even though their bodies are not craving it in the same way that people crave drugs like heroin. Ketamine addiction is more comparable to cocaine addiction, which is also a psychological dependence. A ketamine addiction develops when a person abuses it for a long period of time in order to cope with something such as a mental health disorder like depression or anxiety, stress or an external factor such as a job loss. Before ketamine addiction treatment can begin, you must first undergo detoxification, a process which involves the safe removal of the drug from the body under the supervision of medical professionals. Because it provides a comfortable and safe environment in which to recover from ketamine addiction, rehab is the most popular treatment available for anyone who is focused on long-term success.

 

Behavioural and social symptoms of ketamine addiction:

 

Ketamine addiction can develop fairly quickly because of the drug’s strong ability to produce feelings of euphoria and dissociation. Regular use of ketamine disrupts the normal functioning of the brain, altering its reward pathways and making it extremely difficult to quit using the drug. There is a range of psychological interventions that rehab centres use that will help clients address the psychological, emotional and social factors that will aid their recovery from drug ketamine addiction. Due to the inconsistency in the psychological withdrawal symptoms different people experience when stopping ketamine use, it may be advisable for clients to be monitored by a doctor or psychiatrist. Research suggests that withdrawing from ketamine is unpredictable as people can experience challenging psychological withdrawal symptoms when they cease taking the drug after continued use.

 

The dissociative effect is what most people like to feel, but you can become addicted by repeatedly using the drug. The brain’s reward pathway develops a tolerance that increases the user’s dosage with subsequent uses. Building a tolerance to anaesthetic substances ultimately results in addiction. Our rehab programme lasts for 4 weeks and includes psychiatric assessments, detoxification, medical care and our evidence-based therapy programme.

 

If you recognise any of these ketamine addiction signs, it’s important to seek help as soon as possible. At Primrose Lodge, we have a team of experienced addiction professionals who can help you take the first steps on your road to recovery. Additionally, using high doses of ketamine can lead you into a “K-hole”, a hallucinogenic state often described as frightening or like a near-death experience. Allergic reaction to the substance is also possible and can result in severe consequences.

 

Like LSD or other hallucinatory drugs, the effects of ketamine are varied and largely unpredictable. Although it causes euphoria, its hallucinations can be particularly frightening. People who mix ketamine with other depressants – such as heroin or alcohol – increase the likelihood of suffering respiratory depression, which can cause death in severe cases. Individual therapy is designed to explore and focus on addressing personal challenges and circumstances that may be contributing to ketamine addiction. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), motivational enhancement therapy (MET), and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) are used to examine underlying issues with the goal of achieving sustained recovery. If you are concerned that someone you care about might be using ketamine or showing symptoms of ketamine addiction, there are some common signs to look out for.

 

Help with Ketamine addiction

 

The therapists at skilled facilities use addiction counselling to help people overcome addiction and enable them to live a life of substances. If ketamine is combined with other substances like alcohol or hallucinogens like LSD and PCP, it can be fatal to human beings. As a result, even if the drug is primarily eliminated from the body, it can have long-term effects on the body. For example, people reported having short flashbacks even weeks after the drug had been cleared from the body.

 

Ketamine is a type of drug used in both human and veterinary branches of medicine. Mainly, it is used with a sedative to produce a general anaesthesia prior to treatments. Sometimes the drug is also used within intensive care facilities as an anti-pain medication, chiefly as a type of emergency medicine. If a Ketamine addiction is ruling your life, at Addiction Advocates, we will encourage you to contact us today to find out more about Ketamine addiction treatment & rehab. As a result, following a seven-day detoxification programme, you will be introduced to psychological and well-being therapy. Administered in both one-to-one and group settings, therapy will enable you to uncover the cause of your addiction.