The Vivienne's family believe the "stigma" associated with ketamine use could have prevented the star from seeking help. James Lee Williams, 32, who was known as The Vivienne, tragically died at their home in Cheshire in January.
Chanel Williams told BBC Newsnight that her brother had "a really long period of sobriety" before relapsing. The 2019 winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, James helped raise awareness after speaking about ketamine abuse on the show. "He'd spoken openly on Drag Race about the battles he'd had with addiction, and he'd come through the other side of that," Chanel said.
"He was at the height of everything he was doing and I think because he'd said it in such a open platform, it's really difficult to come back and say you're struggling again." Chanel also spoke about the "stigma" surrounding drug use.
She said: "It's hard for me because I think if that stigma wasn't there, would my brother have sought the help he needed?" Now, The Vivienne's family are working with Adferiad, a substance abuse charity, to help raise awareness and tackle stigma around drug use.
UK Addiction Treatment Centres explain that ketamine is a dissociative drug first synthesised as an anaesthetic. It's sometimes known as 'special K', and it has a highly addictive potential. Unfortunately, ketamine abuse is becoming more common.
UK Addiction Treatment Centres said: "While you might not think that your drug use is a cause for concern, there is no 'correct' dosage for ketamine and any recreational use of the substance should be a cause for concern.
"This is because ketamine is illegal and has the potential to be highly dangerous if not administered by a medical professional. For this reason, it is important to carefully monitor your ketamine use to determine whether your habit has escalated to a full-blown addiction."
Highlighting the risks, they said: "While one individual might take the substance and feel relaxed, another may find their motor functions severely impacted, leaving them rigid and unable to move. For this reason, we would like to remind you that, when taking ketamine in an unfamiliar setting, there is a chance that you could lose all control of your bodily functions, making it highly dangerous for use in environments such as nightclubs and parties."
Signs and symptoms of ketamine addiction could include:
- Poor coordination
- Insomnia
- Very irritable
- ‘Spacing out’ often, as if in a trance
- Swift movement of the eyes
- Slurring their words
- Intense cravings
- Hallucinations
- Bladder pains
- Insomnia
- Difficulty breathing
- Paralysis
- Increased heart rate
- Memory loss
Sharing advice, UK Addiction Treatment Centre said: "Whether you have been abusing ketamine for a short time or are battling a long-withstanding addiction, it is never too late to seek help for your dependence. It can be overwhelming to choose to make such a significant life change, but this could make all the difference in seeing the other side of your addiction and regaining control over your life.
"Across all eight of our UKAT facilities, we provide rehabilitation programmes specifically tailored to your needs. So don’t let your ketamine addiction consume another moment of your life. Get in touch as soon as possible, and one of our advisors will discuss which programme is best for you."
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