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[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
Holding your drink
Why do they do it?
Taking precautions
Summing up
Help and info
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.'
Trudi 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.'
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.
At 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 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.
British Deaf Association (BDA) Health and Counselling
Service
Ground Floor
9 Springfield Street
Warrington WA1 1BB
Voice: 01925 652520
Fax: 01925 652526
Textphone: 01925 652529
Videophone: 01925 630169
E-mail: bda6@dircon.co.uk
The BDA can offer support and counselling, or recommend an organisation
in your local area.
ChildLine
Freepost 1111
London N1 0BR
Textphone: 0800 400 222 (Monday to Friday 9.30am-9.30pm, Saturday and
Sunday 9.30am-8pm)
Voice: 0800 1111
Website: www.childline.org.uk
The textphone helpline provides confidential support and advice on any
problem to children and young people who are deaf, hearing-impaired or
find using a regular phone difficult.
ChildLine Cymru/Wales
Freepost 1111
Swansea SA1 5ZZ
ChildLine Northern Ireland
Freepost 1111
Belfast BT1 2DD
ChildLine Scotland
Freepost 1111
Glasgow G1 1BR
The Drug Rape Trust
Drug Rape Trust
177 Southchurch Boulevard
Thorpe Bay
Essex SS2 4UT
Telephone/fax: 01702 317695
E-mail: contact@drugrapetrust.org
Website: www.drugrapetrust.org
Organisation set up to fight drug-assisted sexual assault. Aims to raise
awareness of drug-related violence, to provide information and advice,
to share information with other international organisations and to establish
a network of treatment centres throughout the UK. The website includes
tips on how to stay safe.
National Drugs Helpline
Textphone: 0800 917 8765 (24 hours a day, seven days a week)
Website: www.ndh.org.uk
The National Drugs Helpline gives information and confidential advice
to anyone in the UK concerned about drugs.
The Roofie Foundation
Monkswell House
Manse Lane
Knaresborough
North Yorkshire HG5 8NQ
24-hour helpline (voice only): 0800 783 2980
E-mail: trf@roofie.org.uk
Website: www.roofie.org.uk
Aims are to raise public awareness of date-rape drugs, provide a resource
centre for the British police and run a helpline for victims.
Channel 4 Health: Drugs
www.channel4.com/health/drugs
Straight-talking information about drugs, plus users' experiences
and the opportunity to ask questions online in confidence.
DrugScope
www.drugscope.org.uk
A wide range of information from the UK's leading drugs charity.
The Site
www.thesite.org.uk/drugs
A fun site, with a young outlook. The effects of a wide range of drugs
are explained, as is their legal status, the risks, their street names
and background information.
Trashed
www.trashed.co.uk
Good NHS site for basic information about drugs, aimed at young people
aged 16-25.
Your Body, Your Choice
http://union.aber.ac.uk/yourbodyyourchoice/advice.html
Includes information on drink-spiking, date rape, drugs and drink-binging.
Graphic version
Includes layout and images.