Ex-Bad Boy Chiller Crew member Gareth Kelly opens up about ketamine addiction
Gareth, or GK, has spoken out about checking into rehab and dealing with addiction
A former member of the hit Yorkshire rap group Bad Boy Chiller Crew has spoken out about his 10 year addiction to ketamine.
Gareth Kelly, who performed as 'GK' in the chart topping group, is marking six months sober after leaving the band and checking himself into rehab.
BBCC shot to fame four years ago with their hit album Disrespectful, which hit #2 on the UK album charts.
However the group, also including members Sam "Clive" Robinson and Kane Welsh, then faced a legal battle with their former label over music royalties.
After announcing he was leaving the group last year Gareth has now returned to social media to detail his struggle with addition, in a post which has since racked up thousands of comments and likes.
"On Christmas Eve, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life and checked myself into rehab for a 12 week treatment" he wrote.
"Leaving my children crying at the door while I crawled into that car is something I'll never forget."
After the post he's been sharing his story with Hits Radio, in the hopes it will raise awareness.
He told us the Class B drug got such a grip of him that "nothing else mattered."
"Wearing nappies and smelling of urine, that it become a normal thing to me. I knew from that point, wow.
"But the drug just got so much of a grip of me, it felt normal to wear a nappy, it felt normal to smell of urine."
Chronic ket use can cause 'ket bladder' which is one of long-term effects. Frequent use can inflame the and scar the bladder.
Gareth has had two surgeries on his bladder this year and told us he'll never make a full recovery.
Earlier this year we spoke to a Urologist at Pinderfields Hospital after Dr Alison Downey noticed an increase in young people needing bladder reconstructive surgery, which is usually reserved for cancer patients.
Another issue that Gareth experienced was 'ket cramps' which he said was very painful.
Gareth said he knew it was his last chance to turn things around and wanted to do so for his family and especially for his children.
He now wants to raise awareness of the drug. He said: "Stay away, completely, I only tried it once and look at me. I'm the prime example."
If you or someone you know is impacted by this article, you can reach out to drug and alcohol recovery organisations, such as Forward Leeds.