'Being locked up saved my life'

After her ketamine addiction led to a stint in a Japanese detention centre, Izabel Rose realised she needed to change her ways

- -  HANNAH BRITT

Banged up in solitary confinement in a Japanese prison cell like a common drug addict, Izabel Rose's facade of respectability was stripped away.

Just days earlier, the 26-year-old marketing professional had kidded herself that her ketamine addiction was under control. All she needed to stay on top was a holiday. So she took a month off and excitedly booked a flight to Japan — planning to touch down in Tokyo and then head to Osaka, an area known as Japan's kitchen due to its culinary scene.

But Izabel, who left London's South Bank University with a first class honours degree in journalism, was in complete denial about the level of her addiction.

She says, “I started taking ketamine in my late teens. At first it was fun, but five or so years later I was spending £20 a day on one or two grams. It numbs your busy brain and makes you feel like you're in a bubble.”

Within five years, what began as a bit of fun with friends had become a daily habit. And without ketamine — which is used as an anaesthetic for animals — the withdrawals were hideous.

Izabel says, “When I didn’t take it, it was like a horror movie going on inside my head.”

At first, a bit more ketamine would mask the side effects and restore the high.

She says, “I was a high functioning addict - good at my job.”

But over time the drug had a tightening grip on her mind and metabolism.

Izabel explains, “I started to get debilitating symptoms. I struggled to urinate and suffered abdominal pain so bad it was like a horse was sitting on me. I passed out because of the pain more than once and ended up in A&E.

“My family and friends knew about my addiction. They were worried about me when I slurred my words or looked like a zombie.”

Her loved ones had supported her idea to go away and escape from the lifestyle she was embroiled in back in London. But the night before she flew, Izabel went on a ketamine bender.