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Watch what you drink!Holding your drink How would you feel if you were out enjoying a drink in the pub, having a laugh, and then suddenly you felt out of control, though you knew you weren't drunk and hadn't taken any drugs? This is what happened to Laura McQuilliam when she was out celebrating her mate's 21st. 'I was talking to my friends,' Laura told us. 'One of them was outside because she was upset, so I went out to check on her and left my drink on the garden table. Then I got my drink, went back into the pub and carried on drinking. As I was signing, I started to feel a bit funny. I was becoming more alert. At the slightest movement, I turned my head to look but there was no one there. My friend tapped me and I spun round to face them. They asked me if I was all right as I couldn't control my jaw. That's when I started to feel dizzy.' Holding your drinkTrudi Collier, a freelance drugs counsellor, told VEE-TV that deaf people are more at risk from spiking because they use their hands to sign and so don't nurse their drinks as most hearing people do. Laura left her drink because she had to help her friend. But perhaps a hearing person would have held onto theirs even in that situation, not needing their hands to communicate. The next day Laura felt awful and her boyfriend told her she'd been grinding her teeth all night – one of the classic side-effects of E or of speed. Laura has never taken drugs herself, but she's seen other people on E and recognised what the symptom implied. 'Luckily, my friends were there to look after me,' Laura says. 'Otherwise I don't know what I would have done.' Why do they do it?So why would someone do that? Laura was really shocked and angry and found it hard to believe they'd do it just for fun. Trudi, our drug counsellor, said: 'Some do it to see how the victim will react, or just for a laugh. Or if they fancy someone and there's no response, they think it's a good way to get sex.' You might have heard about the drug Rohypnol being involved in drink-spiking and 'date rape'. According to the Drug Rape Trust, you are unlikely to come across Rohypnol, but 11 other drugs have been implicated in drug rape in the UK. It's been reported that these 'rape drugs' are put in a person's drink to make them feel really drunk; then the spiker will take them home, saying they'll look after them. Unfortunately, the effects mean that often people can't remember if they've been sexually assaulted. Taking precautionsAt VEE-TV, our advice is not to worry unnecessarily. Even though our counsellor, Trudi, said that spiking is on the increase, it is still pretty rare. But it still makes sense to be careful, so: • Consider appointing a person to watch the drinks – maybe a non-drinking driver. • Take your drink with you, even to the toilet. If you're not allowed to drink on the dancefloor, finish it first. • Never accept a drink from someone you don't completely trust. • If your drink tastes strange or looks different in any way, don't risk it – throw it away. • If you're feeling really drunk or strange after only a couple of drinks, tell someone you can trust – a good friend or staff. • If someone you don't trust is insistent about helping you, say 'No!' • If a friend seems to have lost control, take them to the toilet and see properly what state they're in. If you're worried, tell a member of staff and arrange for an ambulance. Try to keep the container the drink was in, so the doctors can identify any contaminant. Summing upSumming up its campaign, the Drug Rape Trust says: 'Statistically this is unlikely to happen to you. But it could happen to anyone.' Laura agrees. 'I never thought drink-spiking would happen to me,' she says, 'but it did. It can happen to anybody.' So, don't let worry about drink-spiking spoil your fun when you go out.
But do be cautious and aware.
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