This summer, one of the scariest things happened for me as a parent. My daughter got her drink spiked. Luckily she was with her best friend & her friend knew her well enough to actually know something was wrong & got her home safe & sound! It is one of the most concerning things you can hear as a parent!

My daughter and her friends frequent the same club & that night she was drinking rum & coke out of a glass. You hear about it but you never expect it’s going to happen to you or someone you know! My daughter thought she would be safe. She was talking to her friend then all of a sudden, ‘felt like she lost control of everything, blurry vision as well as not being able stand up as her legs felt like jelly, she was hysterical and just unable to put together a cohesive sentence’.

Drink spiking is where drugs or alcohol is added to someone’s drink without their knowledge & can be used to lower inhibitions, to take advantage of the person who has been spiked, with the possibility of physical or sexual assault and or take items from the victim.

Date rape drugs are usually tasteless, colourless & odourless & take around 30 minutes to experience symptoms and these can last up to several hours dependent on what substance is used. Bearing in mind we all have different tolerances to alcohol & other substances. Some of the symptoms of being spiked can include, nausea, lowered inhibitions, loss of balance/finding it hard to move. Difficulty concentrating or speaking. Memory loss /blackouts. Paranoia, hallucinations & unconsciousness.

What should you do if you think your drink has been spiked? Tell someone you trust, a friend or close relative, or bar staff, a manager or security. Ask them to call the police if necessary to report the incident, so the relevant tests can be done to check what substance was used, most drugs leave the body in 72 hours!

If you have been physically or sexually assaulted the police will want to take as much information as you can recall. They will ask if you knew the person, what they looked like, what actually happened & what was taken or occurred during the attack. They may take a statement and photographs of any injuries sustained during that incident.

With freshers week coming up, there is the opportunity for young people starting college to attend a mix of social event & the chance to meet new friends. However if young people who have just moved away from home throw themselves into the social occasions, it is an important to be more vigilant about keeping drinks safe.

The best tips to prevent drinks being spiked are: do not accept drinks from strangers, stick together, always cover your drink, drink out of a bottle if possible & keep your thumb over the top of it. Stay with your drink at all times. Keep an eye on your drink & don’t mine sweep!! Don’t tell anyone your address, don’t take out expensive equipment that could make you more of a target.

Trying to fit in during university & keep up with your peers, whilst drinking, having fun and getting to know each other; it’s important to not only drink safe but to be safe from others spiking your drinks.