New support group to help recovering ketamine addicts in Burnley

Finley Worthington will launch a new support group for those struggling with ketamine abuse on Friday, March 14th. The peer-led group will take place at 5 Ways Boxing Academy at Valley Street Community Centre on Fridays from 7pm to 8-30pm.

It’s part of the 25-year-old’s new initiative, Ketamine Education Services, designed to support addicts and warn young people about the dangers of the drug.

Describing the group, Finley said: “It’s a free, safe and confidential space for people at any part of their journey. It’s run by recovering ketamine addicts, and will be raw and honest. We’ll get together, have an open chat, and share our experiences and what we had to do to change. There are many people struggling and feeling alone, and ketamine addiction is dark and depressing but the group will offer hope and will be like a community. There will also be a couple of services we can signpost people to.”

After battling ketamine misuse, Finley moved to Stockport to escape his old life and stay clean where he already runs the Ketamine Care Hub. He saw a large demand for support, with 20 attendees at a recent meeting, and more and more people from Burnley contacting him about where they could find help closer to home. That’s when he decided to set something up in his hometown where he saw a gap in services for a group specifically targeting ketamine addiction.

"I was itching to get something set up here run by someone with lived experience and I got more messages off people asking where they could get support. My old coaching club got in touch and said ‘let’s get something set up’, and I knew it was the right thing to do.

"I want to reach as many people as possible because it’s a massive problem. The issue has been around for a long time but it’s only now people are seeing the real side effects and wanting to get clean.

"It’s a new thing I’m doing, I don’t know anyone who’s done it so I’m trying to find my way with it. But I’m not going to make a dent on my own. I need as much help as possible from services in and around Burnley. It’s important we’re all working together, and that it’s a collective effort.”

Finley adds that he’s also keen to set something up for families.

"I can imagine care givers are banging their heads on the wall as their children are killing themselves and they don’t know what to do. They’re trying their best to figure it out. I feel sad for them as there’s not a lot of help for them. Parents are worried that their child could relapse.”

He says a couple of Burnley schools have also reached out to him to help raise awareness of the drug and talk about careers in recovery, adding that “there’s a massive need for workers.”

Reflecting on his mission to help recovering addicts, he said: “I’m not expecting I’m going to change the world but if we can help just a few people, I’d be happy. It’s a drop in the ocean but an ocean is made up of lots of drops.”