Man splashed £50k on ketamine after first taking it at Creamfields competition
Tom Kirk first took the powerful drug at Creamfields festival in 2018 but only developed a heavy dependence during the Covid-19 pandemic and eventually could barely even walk
A man who was hospitalised with liver and kidney failure after spending £50,000 on ketamine has turned his life around. Tom Kirk, 26, hit rock bottom in March 2024 when he was told his kidney and liver were functioning at 20% after six years of daily ketamine abuse.
Tom, from Scunthorpe, first took the drug at Creamfields festival in 2018 and became dependant during the Covid lockdowns. He was furloughed from work and had just been introduced to the drug scene – with nothing to do during the pandemic, his dosage and usage increased drastically.
Eventually, Tom could barely walk as he was hunched over in pain, but when the excruciating cramps subsided, he would return to his room to do another line. The doctors said that if he continued to take the drug he would die, aged 25.
Last week the family of Drag star The Vivienne revealed they died from a cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine. Tom who has been off the drug for nine months, said: “I was sitting there thinking that no 25-year-old should be in hospital, unable to walk like that because of drugs.
“My grandma was worrying about having to go to my funeral. Those thoughts should be something that never, ever go through someone’s head.
“My mum was constantly worrying, thinking I was going to die. It’s not a life that I should’ve been living at that age. There’s more to life than drugs.”
When Tom returned to work as a manager at a car rental company after the pandemic, he was taking ketamine before work, in his breaks, at lunch and immediately after work – spending around £50-a-day on the drug. He eventually lost his job because of the loss of custom at the business during the pandemic.
As he was one of the newest managers to work there, he was one of the first to face redundancy. From there, his ketamine use became even more of a daily habit, costing him tens of thousands of pounds.
He said: “Ketamine was this escapism, it was escapism from reality. And I feel like that’s a big thing for people, especially people with poor mental health, it takes them away from the world they’re in.
“I didn’t really take into consideration that I was taking it way too far, using it excessively. I thought that it was all okay, that it just hurt a bit when I went to the toilet.
“But then when I got to the point where I went to hospital and was in there for a month, I think it hit home a bit more. It got so bad that I’d try to go to sleep but I’d get up to go to the toilet every 20 minutes. So I was lucky to get any sleep.
“I was just wearing my body down and I was in excruciating pain for hours and hours, sat in the shower – before going back into my room to take more ketamine.”
When he went to hospital, Tom was diagnosed with a stage two kidney blockage, meaning the tubes from his kidneys to his bladder were blocked up with an infection and inflammation – nothing could pass through.
He was bed-bound and had nephrostomy bags in his back to help him urinate for two months because ketamine can damage and shrink the bladder. Having already been in touch with the charity WithYou previously, Tom took it upon himself to contact their support line again.
With their help, he is now free from ketamine and volunteers and has a paid role working with people who are trying to tackle their drug usage.
If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Talk To Frank for free, confidential advice on 0300 1236600, texting 82111 or visiting their website, Honest information about drugs | FRANK
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