'I started one habit to avoid drinking too much and it cost me my teeth'

A mum living a quiet life in a small town was secretly using a class B substance because she didn't want to drink alcohol - and says it derailed her life and destroyed her once pretty smile. Victoria Vigors was taking ketamine as an alternative to drinking wine to cope with the everyday stresses of life.

The addiction soon took hold of the 40-year-old’s life after she also tried cocaine and amphetamines, and at one point lost custody of her children, now aged eight and 14. Now “healed”, Victoria, from Kent, is sharing her story – including why fixing her teeth are such a key part of her recovery.

“Ketamine really took me to rock bottom,” she said. “I started using it as a substitute for alcohol as I didn’t like the side effects of drinking when I was doing it so excessively and regularly. So I thought ‘Oh, ketamine is like being drunk'. I figured a small bump would be like having two glasses of wine.

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“And after trying it, I had no side effects, no comedown – at first. So I used it instead of booze, thinking I had somehow found the secret to life.”

For Victoria, it all went down hill from there.She said: “Because I was having it little and often throughout the day – or micro-dosing, as some people call it – my tolerance became incredibly high. So I was having to do a lot more in the end to achieve the same effect and that's when the side effects started creeping in. It was a constant pain that couldn’t be fixed.

“I couldn't get rid of it with painkillers, so I would just take more ketamine.”

At this point, as Victoria upped her intake and was in and out of hospital for ketamine cramps. She said: “The cramps left me in unbearable pain, it is something users get when taking a lot of the drug. “But eventually, I admitted that I had a problem and sought help from the doctors.

“They were so good with me and they kept me in hospital for a few weeks to help with withdrawal symptoms. Then I started going to NA [narcotics anonymous] meetings and having therapy.”

One very noticeable change to Victoria’s appearance during her drug use was that her gums began receding. Losing her smile was particularly heartbreaking – but also very painful as the tissue pulled away from her teeth and exposed the roots underneath.

Once Victoria was recovering and her life was back on track, she decided that it was time to fix this last physical reminder of her addiction. She said: “I was an addict for years, which caused my gums to recede and my teeth to have many gaps.

“I used to keep my mouth closed a lot and learned to smile like that. People would comment on my smile and call me ‘horse teeth’ – without knowing the tough journey that had caused these problems.

“I didn’t want the reminder of my addiction hanging over me, so I decided to get my teeth done.”

To save money on the dental work, the mum flew to Turkey to get a new set of teeth including 10 top and bottom crowns for £4,800, plus three fillings for £150. She booked herself into a clinic in Izmir and stayed in the country for 10 nights. The total cost of the treatment, plus the flight and hotel was £5,700.

Victoria said: “I was collected at the airport by the clinic’s private driver and taken to their beautiful luxury villa. The staff were so caring and helpful.

“My room was lovely with a private balcony, minibar, air conditioning and 24-hour care assistants. I felt cared for, listened to and respected throughout my stay. On the day, there was no pain, just sensitivity – but they provided all the pain relief necessary to make me comfortable.

“I had about a week of aching upon coming home, which I was told to expect whilst my gums and the sensitivity of my teeth settled.”

Victoria is overjoyed with her new smile and feels it is an important part of her recovery. She said: “Now they look so natural – I love them. Looking back, I feel a lot of regret, especially a lot of guilt around my kids.

“I also feel sad that my mind and emotions were so crushed and broken that I felt like the only way I could live life was to be under the influence of something. But I was just trying to cope. Now that I have healed and have clarity, I am grateful.

“Getting my teeth done might seem superficial but it was an important step to me. I love my life and am able to be very present as a mum. Everything had to happen in the order that it did for me to get to where I am today.”