I want my horror £2k a month ketamine habit to help stop other addicts

Courtney Leggett started using the class-B drug aged 16 at illegal raves but within two years she started using it 'all day everyday'.

Suffering from 'excruciating' kidney pain in 2019, the now 26-year-old visited her GP thinking it was a UTI.

But as time passed, Courtney started losing control of her bladder and was forced to wear nappies, letting her mum blame their pet cat for the urine smell in her bedroom.

Video footage shows a delirious Courtney sitting in a bath tub and slurring her words while abusing the substance as a teen.

At the height of her addiction the mum-of-one says she was sniffing up to 25 grams a day and forking out her £2,000 salary on the drug.

Drug harm reduction websites warn that just 150mg is a 'heavy' dose.

Courtney, who was a support worker, said she relied on the drug to dull her pain during night shifts, but was eventually fired when staff raised concerns.

When she fell pregnant with her 15-month-old son in November 2023, Courtney became sober until she re-lapsed in April 2025 after tragically losing a second baby.

However, when a concerned family member called the police and social services threatened to take away her child, the 'frightened' mum sought help from a local drug service.

She was stunned to be told by a private urologist in October 2025 that she might need her bladder removed and a catheter bag fitted due to the damage the drug had caused.

Now six weeks sober, Courtney has vowed never to touch the drug again and is spreading awareness about the 'disease of addiction'.

Courtney, from Lincoln, Lincolnshire, said: "I think I'm a very lucky girl and I count my blessings every day that I'm still here.

"It was all fun and games at the start and then it got serious, it was a matter of life or death.

"It just completely controlled my life. I found myself using it literally all day every single day. I'd set alarms in the middle of the night so I could have a line.

"When I was working for the elderly I'd be changing my residents' incontinence aids and then I'd have to pop off to change mine.

"I'd be thinking 'these women and men are in their late 70s and 80s, I'm only in my early 20s. What the hell have I done to myself?'.

"I got pulled in one day [at work] and they said 'you're not fit for the job at the moment' and I lost my job."

The mum said she lost control of her bladder in 2019 and first visited her GP thinking she had a UTI.

Years of back and forth appointments saw her eventually privately referred to a urologist who said she'll most likely need her bladder removed and a catheter bag fitted.

Courtney said: "It was a massive shock. I'd prepared for that for quite a long time but it was a kick in the teeth actually hearing it.

"I was so ashamed of myself, especially becoming incontinent at such a young age in my early 20s.

"I became bed bound and I used to just lay and wee on my bed. I'd be laid in it for days. It's disgusting but I was in so much pain.

"We have three cats and my mum said 'I think one of the cats has weed upstairs.

"My mum went into [my bedroom] and she said her eyes streamed because it just burned her eyes because it had a strong ammonia smell and then she clicked.

"I was constantly up [at night] with my bladder as well. I knew if I sniffed another line if I woke up I wouldn't be in pain.

"But the more I was sniffing the more damage I'd be doing and then [when] I'd wake up I'd be in even more excruciating pain. It's just that vicious cycle.

"I have to be constantly near the toilet or wear nappies."

'Frightened' into getting help when social services got involved, Courtney is now six weeks sober.

Courtney said: "[Losing my baby] was what just tipped me over the edge. [Ketamine] was a depression blanket for me.

"Ketamine was the one thing I knew would take away my thoughts, feelings and pain, my emotions.

"[Social services] basically said 'if you don't sort yourself out [your son] will be adopted and you will not see him'.

"It scared me so much that I would've lost my little boy, it frightened me into getting help."

Now sober, Courtney wants to spread awareness about the dangers of the drug.

Courtney said: "I'm so proud of myself. It's the first time in 10 years that I've not woken up with an obsession. There's no chance of me going back and I won't stop fighting.

"I know it's not that easy to just stop because everyone would tell me. But reach out to people and your local drug services and local GP. If they do try to fob you off, ask for a second opinion.

"We know as addicts that we're not well. We might look okay on the outside but inside we're damaged, doomed, poisoned and riddled with a disease of addiction.

"If I can prevent one other person from getting to the place I am at, that's more than enough for me."