Ketamine: Portsmouth woman Kate Douglas reveals how drug almost killed her during seven-year addiction

A HR graduate has told how she fell into a seven-year ketamine addiction after getting hooked to the "cheap" drug she could buy for just £8.50 a go.

Kate Douglas, 27, began taking cocaine at parties aged 17 before trying ketamine because it was cheaper.

It started just at weekends, but soon she was secretly taking it daily, and she sank to just 6st after the drug robbed her of her desire to eat.

Over the years her addiction ate through thousands of pounds of her salary and savings - £100,000 in total - and saw Kate, from Portsmouth, go into multiple temporary housing while "following the drugs".

Kate, who estimates she consumed 11kg in ketamine in total, had three stints in both NHS and private rehabs which she relapsed after - with her weight getting as low as 6st - and took as much as 14g a day at times.

Throughout the seven-year addiction she caught pneumonia, broke her ankle, got second-degree burns, began urinating blood, and developed a hiatus hernia. But incredibly she managed to hold down a jobs in HR and hospitality - rushing home to get a fix the second she clocked off.

It wasn't until late 2025 that she realised ketamine would claim her life if she didn't kick the addiction, and she left her job and signed up for a final stint in rehab. She came out in mid-March and is now clean and sober and raising awareness of the dangers of ketamine use.

Kate, who is currently doing a full-time community day rehab but aspires to work in mental health one day, said: "Looking back, I missed so much of my life - I ruined my 20s.

"It started out for fun but it became an escape after trauma in childhood. Soon, I was chasing the scene, chasing the drugs - I didn't sleep, didn't eat, and I got a cheap price because I knew all the dealers. Even when I tried to get help, I just couldn't stop using.

"In late 2025, I'd lost all hope - before it clicked that if I didn't stop, I was going to die. I'm clean now and this time, I want to make a purpose of my life and show people the reality. Ketamine will rob you of everything - I'm lucky to be alive."

Kate started drinking alcopops aged 14, and by her late teens began taking ketamine at raves.

She said it was "just cheap" and wasn't aware of the risks because it was "normal" in her circles.

She liked how the drug helped her "escape" mental health problems, and found herself hooked by the age of 20, in 2019. She held up a part-time job in hospitality well as working as a DJ, while finishing a degree in HR.

She said friends and family asked her if she looked ill, when she was on a comedown, but she claimed she had been drinking, or had the flu. But when Covid hit, she began to take more ketamine.

She eventually made a group of online friends and began meeting them to go on nights out together where they lived in Woking, Surrey.

Eventually she moved to Woking where her ketamine use ramped up further as she was "surrounded by drugs".

She said: "I was taking 7g of ketamine a day when the average person would use less than a gram over a weekend. My bladder problems started then, and eventually I moved home because it all got too much."

But after getting a job in HR back at home, she maintained the habit every night after work. Kate even ended up accidentally overdosing aged 22, ending up in hospital, after which point she had her first stint in rehab and got six months clean.

She said: "I was so skinny my mum thought I was on heroin."

But after an unhealthy relationship came to an end, she was diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, and went back to ketamine to help her cope.

She said: "I got my own place, living alone, and I smashed myself to pieces."

She had a second stint in rehab, but relapsed as soon as she came out again.

She said: "I got down to 6st, and I was on up to 14g of ketamine a day after that. I didn't sleep, didn't eat. I had accidents - I got second degree burns on my foot when I dropped boiling water trying to cook. I broke my ankle when I tripped while high.

"I ended up with angina in my heart because of the ketamine mixed with antidepressants. I got pneumonia because my immune system was so down."

Kate cycled through several other short term jobs, including as a shot girl, to cover the costs of her habit and her rent - but couldn't hold down full-time work any more. By this point she was in contact with the drug and alcohol services and would attend monthly meetings from the 12-step programme, with the intention of stopping.

But she got severe muscle cramps, hot and cold sweats and sickness from withdrawals. Her third stint in rehab, in early 2024 saw her get clean and move into supportive housing - and she Kate stayed clean for a whole year. But after another unhealthy relationship came to an end, she relapsed again.

She said: "I tried to take my own life on July 13, 2025. I felt like I'd let everyone down by relapsing. I was so ashamed. I'd ring the dealer at 9am. Some nights I didn't sleep, and some days I didn't shower or eat. I felt hopeless."

She enrolled for a fourth four-week stint in rehab in February, followed by an eight-week aftercare programme back in Portsmouth, which she is continuing with now while in independent housing.

She still goes to support groups and feels this time, she'll be able to stay clean and sober.

Kate said: "I look at other people my age who have children, houses and cars - whereas I'm starting my life from the bottom again at 27. But I am learning to navigate life sober - I'm just grateful to be alive."

The Portsmouth Recovery Hub is a free, confidential adult drug and alcohol treatment service available to anyone who lives in Portsmouth concerned about their own or a loved one’s drug and/or alcohol use. Call 023 9229 4573 or visit www.portsmouthrecovery.org