Ketamine addiction symptoms
Highlighting the psychological, behavioural and physical symptoms you might experience if you're addicted to ketamine.
The symptoms of ketamine addiction can vary from person to person, and also depend upon the environment that it's taken in, as well as the dose of ketamine that's been consumed. As ketamine leaves the body, the craving for the drug becomes more intense. This means that people need to take more in order to achieve the desired effects (physically and psychologically); this is when the signs of addiction become more clear. Also, ketamine misuse is a common cross-addiction from or to other psychoactive drugs, which adds to the risks of regular use.
At Priory, our specialist addiction treatment teams can deliver expert ketamine addiction treatment and therapy, enabling you to overcome your symptoms and cravings, and take steps towards the healthy, fulfilling and drug-free life that you deserve.
As well as consuming ketamine on a regular basis, the following are also signs that you, or someone that you know, may be struggling with an addiction to ketamine.
As your ketamine addiction gets worse, other areas of your life can be affected. It's likely that you'll experience negative consequences as a result of your ketamine abuse, including relationship breakdowns, poor performance at work and money problems. Your loved ones will also notice a dramatic change in your behaviour and appearance, often resulting in strained family relationships.
Over time, it’s possible that ketamine abuse can result in a series of long-term health problems, including:
Read more about the long-term effects of ketamine abuse here.
Addictions develop as a result of a psychological process known as ‘positive reinforcement’. Positive reinforcement encourages a pattern of behaviour to form by offering a reward for that behaviour. In the context of ketamine addiction, this drug causes people to experience ‘positive’ outcomes such as pleasure, euphoria, and a sense of tranquillity, which increase the likelihood that they'll seek out these feelings again once ketamine has left the body. This continuous cycle of abuse can result in the development of a dangerous ketamine addiction as opposed to ‘one-off’ behaviour.
As well as the impact of positive reinforcement, research suggests that drug addictions may also develop due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
In addition to the above, some research suggests that you may have an increased susceptibility to developing an addiction to ketamine if you're already struggling with an underlying mental health problem such as depression, anxiety or stress. This is because people might try to self-medicate with ketamine in an attempt to control their symptoms, which can have a detrimental impact on their health and wellbeing over time.