K-HOLE: The Ketamine Documentary | The Hidden Harms of KetamineK-HOLE: The Ketamine Documentary | The Hidden Harms of Ketamine
Believe in people podcast
Matthew Butler follows people affected by ketamine across Northern England, sharing raw stories of addiction, bladder damage and family heartbreak. Clinicians, parents, survivors and support workers outline the hidden harms of ketamine, the gaps in services and the hope offered by education, community and recovery support.
33:42•4 Sept 2026
K-HOLE: The Brutal Truth About Ketamine and the Fight to Recover
Episode Overview
- Ketamine can cause severe and sometimes irreversible bladder and kidney damage, even after relatively short periods of heavy use.
- Many young people are using ketamine to cope with trauma, anxiety and neurodivergence, making early mental health support crucial.
- Parents and families need their own support, both to cope emotionally and to understand symptoms like dissociation, memory loss and extreme pain.
- Education for doctors, teachers and recovery workers is urgently needed so they can ask about ketamine use and spot warning signs sooner.
- Community, sport and lived-experience support groups can give people purpose, connection and hope, helping them stay away from ketamine long term.
“What I've gone through isn't just minor, it's been absolutely horrific and I'm never going to forget it for the rest of my life.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This special Believe in People episode follows host Matthew Butler across Northern England as he pieces together the brutal reality of ketamine use – from first party lines to life-changing surgery. You’ll hear from Finlay, who shares how ketamine addiction wrecked his health and left his family waiting for "a knock on the door" to say he’d died.
His account of ketamine bladder damage is graphic, shocking and painfully honest, pulling back the curtain on how quickly “just a weekend thing” can spiral. Clinician Jo Moore explains how a medical anaesthetic has turned into a cheap escape for young people with anxiety, depression and ADHD, while parents like Kerry describe watching their children scream in agony, yet still going out to "score drugs" because the pain relief only seems to come from more ketamine.
Amber, a young mum, brings some of the hardest moments in the episode as she talks about pushing out jelly-like clots for hours on the toilet and facing neobladder surgery. "What I've gone through isn't just minor, it's been absolutely horrific and I'm never going to forget it for the rest of my life," she says. Frontline workers, nurses and surgeons add stark medical context, from bladders being removed to teenagers ending up in intensive care.
There’s also space for hope: boxing gyms, peer support and lived-experience projects like Ketman Education Services show how purpose, community and honest conversations can help people stay off ketamine. For anyone who thinks ketamine is just a harmless party drug, this episode might change that in a single listen. If you care about young people, mental health or addiction, what conversations could this spark in your own circles?
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