Birchwood’s ketamine care helps Megan begin rebuilding her life
After four weeks in rehabilitation, Megan Harmes says she is gaining weight and feeling more like herself. The 24-year-old from Flint had experienced severe pain and bladder damage after years of ketamine use.
Her care at Birchwood, on the Wirral, brings treatment together with support from people who understand addiction. Operator Kaleidoscope describes family involvement and help from recovered peers as part of its residential approach.
An earlier Care Quality Commission assessment independently documented staff helping people reach urology and chronic pain services. It also described separate online support groups for people using ketamine and their families, available beyond Birchwood’s residents.
Megan’s improvement is an individual account, not a recovery rate. She does not yet know how much bladder damage can heal, and researchers told the BBC that relapse remains a concern.
The practical lesson is to address physical health alongside isolation and shame. For Megan, receiving that support has made a future beyond addiction feel possible again.
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