The Vivienne’s sister has questioned whether the “stigma” around drug use prevented the performer from seeking help. James Lee Williams, better known as The Vivienne, died at home in Cheshire in January, aged 32.
The family announced the cause of death as cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine. An inquest is scheduled to take place in June.
Chanel Williams told BBC Newsnight that her brother had “a really long period of sobriety” before relapsing. The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner previously spoke about ketamine abuse during the 2019 series.
“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.”
She added: “It’s hard for me because I think if that stigma wasn’t there, would my brother have sought the help he needed?” Chanel and her family are working with Adferiad, a substance abuse charity, to help raise awareness and tackle stigma around drug use.
According to UK Addiction Treatment Centres, ketamine is a dissociative drug that was first synthesised as an anaesthetic. Also known as ‘special K’, it has a highly addictive potential. While it’s sometimes used in hospital settings to help patients with severe pain, 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.”
Signs and symptoms of ketamine addiction could include:
UK Addiction Treatment Centre continued: “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.”
A GP is a good place to start, says the NHS. They can discuss your problems with you and get you into treatment.
They may offer you treatment at the practice or refer you to your local drug service. If you’re not comfortable talking to a GP, you can approach your local drug treatment service yourself.
You can find services close to you through the Frank website.
If you’re having trouble finding the right sort of help, call the Frank drugs helpline on 0300 123 6600. They can talk you through all your options.
Charity and private drugs treatment
As well as the NHS, there are charities and private drug and alcohol treatment organisations that can help you. Visit the Adfam website to see a list of useful organisations.
Private drug treatment can be very expensive, but sometimes people get referrals through their local NHS.
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