A woman whose £2,000-a-month ketamine addiction was financed through adult work and welfare benefits is warning others about the dangers of the party drug after experiencing severe bladder damage. Paige Kaye, now 22, first tried the Class B substance at age 16 in 2020 and gradually increased her use during the pandemic. By 2022, she was consuming up to 10 grams daily and spending around £2,000 each month, covering the cost with income from adult platforms and her Universal Credit allowance.
The spiral into addiction
Paige, from Nottingham, described how her habit escalated over time. She said: "I'd go through phases where I'd stop for a bit then be on it for a bit. But then it could get worse where I'd be doing it weekly or every couple of days before it got to the point where I was doing it almost daily in 2022." She admitted using ketamine throughout the night and immediately upon waking. "If I woke up in my sleep, I'd do it. I could never go to sleep if I still had some ket left. The first thing I'd be doing was ringing a dealer in the morning." On average, she consumed six to 10 grams per day, depending on her monthly finances.
Physical deterioration
The addiction took a severe toll on Paige's body. She began experiencing agonising stomach cramps known as "ket cramps" in 2022, describing it as a burning sensation in her insides. She started urinating blood and eventually passed a piece of what she believes was her own bladder. "I was in daily pain, sometimes I'd be in A&E three times a week," she said. Her weight plummeted from 10 stone to just 5 stone 7 pounds within a year, and she frequently lost control of her bladder, requiring incontinence pads. "I would just lay in my own urine. I was having seven baths a day to help with the pain," she added.
Turning point and recovery
Last year, Paige reached a breaking point and sought help at a rehabilitation centre, where she stayed for two and a half months. During rehab, she was hospitalised due to abnormal liver function. She now has fluid buildup in both kidneys and blood and scarring in her bladder. Paige has been clean since April 2025 and is urging others to avoid ketamine. "I thought I was going to die, I felt like my body wasn't functioning properly," she said. "It was a vicious cycle because my body was in pain because of ketamine and ketamine is one of the things that helps with the pain so you're stuck in this cycle." She now hopes her story serves as a stark warning about the drug's dangers.
