Acorn Recovery Projects have appeared on BBC’s Panorama, sharing insights into Britain’s ketamine crisis from their weekly ‘ketamine care hub’.
Reporter Hazel Martin travels to the north west of England to talk to users, those being treated in detox and rehab, and doctors who say they’re now being inundated by young patients in need of help.
She visits Fulstone House to talk to Fin and other attendees of the weekly peer support group – Ketamine Care Hub. The Stockport-based group, which was launched in February, became the first peer-led support group specifically for ketamine users.
Finley, who uses his lived experience to run the sessions, talks about his recovery journey and how there were no specific support groups for ketamine users when he started rehab in 2021.
Talking about his experience, Fin shared: “I wasn’t being given the identification I needed at other support groups to feel understood and move forward. I needed to educate myself about the dangers of ketamine and feel that connection with others.
“So, we had a few conversations here with the staff and they said let’s set a specific ketamine group up”.
During the interview, attendees of the support network shared their positive experience of the group and how it’s more ‘personal’. For example, being able to open up about common ketamine use issues such as bladder problems.
The group also discuss the government and how they are currently considering reclassifying ketamine as a class A drug. Many believe this wouldn’t make a difference and the focus and energy should instead be on education and rehabilitation.
The group also has other TV opportunities in the pipeline coming up later this year.
To find out more about the support group, you can learn more in this article about the launch back in February.
