Drink spiking is a nightmare, do you know what to do when it happens?

Friday nights are often reserved for getting together with your friends and catching up on the past week’s activities, socialising about what has happened in your life. These are supposed to be fun nights out. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned, do they?

Recently, the Courier was approached by a woman who had gone out to have a glass of wine with her friends at a Ballito-based pub. According to the woman, who opted to remain anonymous, she only had one glass of wine before her world nearly turned upside down – in fact, she claims she never even finished the wine.

Moments later, some dizziness set about and she decided to call it an early night. She tells a horrifying story of how she nearly lost control of her vehicle and, how she eventually made it home only to pass out behind the steering wheel in her driveway.

Her family found her unconscious in the car, head on the hooter which had been blaring. She awoke groggy and disorientated more than a day later, severely dehydrated. Did she just have ‘too much’ to drink? The woman however believes that her drink had been spiked. The Courier spoke to a few local pub owners about the matter.

Robsons manager Wesley Milan said they had a zero-tolerance approach to anyone bringing illicit substances onto the premises, whether patrons or staff. Staff are also regularly checked to ensure the safety of patrons.

Siggi’s German restaurant and pub owner Chris Schädle said they had been trading for some 11 years and had never had an incident. He also confirmed that they conduct random searches of staff.

“It’s not an easy thing to keep an eye out for but fortunately, we have a family-orientated clientele,” he said.

He offered that patrons should always keep an eye on their drinks, regardless at which pub they were visiting. Another business owner sharing the same thoughts was Gavin Higgins of Shakers who said they kept a close eye on everyone, be it a patron or a staff member.

“We have been trading for 11 years, have 32 cameras installed and have never found evidence of someone being spiked on our cameras,” Higgins said.

He explained that although he realised people do get spiked and, that it can happen to anyone, he remains skeptical when people claim to have been spiked.

“All of the staff are trained to spot the difference between someone on drugs, someone who has been drugged and, someone who has had a bit too much to drink,” he said.

ALSO READ: How to know if your drink has been spiked

He said they perform random searches of every employee, and patrons are also searched at times when entering Shakers. He said patrons had been found in possession of what are referred to as party drugs – cocaine, ecstasy and even cat. He said younger patrons were more likely to blame being spiked than own up to having done something which would get them in trouble with their parents.

That being said, Higgins admits that people – both men and women – can be spiked and that every measure should always be taken to ensure the patron’s safety.

“If you have been spiked, come to us and we will help. We have all of the emergency contact details and our staff are trained in first aid,” he said.

Higgins added that women who suspect that they had been spiked should never leave alone and should rather seek help. Referring to a typical ‘stalker personality’, Higgins explained that those who seek to spike someone may remain at a distance until an opportunity presents itself. They may even present themselves as a friend who would offer to take them home.

Higgins said they would not allow someone visibly intoxicated to leave the establishment and, would rather attempt to contact a friend or a service such as Uber.

“It’s a small town, we all know each other and we all look out for each other,” Higgins said.

KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services media liaison officer, Robert McKenzie recommended that if you suspect that your drink has been spiked, you should stop drinking it and seek medical attention.

“Normally victims of spiking, of course depending on the intentions of the person who had spiked the drink, will go to sleep or possibly become unconscious. Some of the agents used are quite potent and would result in a need for medical attention. In some scenarios, airways could collapse,” McKenzie said.

He advised that as women are more often the target they should never go out drinking alone.

“Keep an eye out for each other. Prevention is always better than cure,” said McKenzie, who also advised that drinks should never be left unattended.

People are usually unaware that their drinks have been spiked until it is too late.

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