A Sunshine Coast woman is urging patrons to be wary of drink spiking after a confronting ordeal, while police have also warned revellers to be vigilant after a spate of incidents.
The 21-year-old mother-of-one was left in a coma after a night out and she shared her story with Sunshine Coast News in the hope of preventing a similar or worse outcome for other people.
She believed she was spiked while on a night with a friend at Ocean Street in November.
“What I can remember, we had three or four drinks and we were dancing and having fun and then all of a sudden I blacked out,” she said.
“All I remember is coming to and talking to a Red Frog (a volunteer from the support group for young people). I blacked out again and next I remember was being paralysed in the ambulance.”
She said if the paramedics were not there the outcome could have been deadly.
“I could hear and (the paramedics) were trying to get me conscious and they were pinching me but I couldn’t move,” she said.
“I was screaming on the inside but I couldn’t get it out.”
She said she started convulsing, stopped breathing and was put into an induced coma, waking up several hours later in hospital with tubes down her throat.
“It’s very confronting because I don’t remember the full story,” she said.
She said it was “sad” that incidents like this existed and it was especially worrying for people who want to enjoy a responsible night out.
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“I’m usually very responsible with my drinks and I want people to be more aware of what is going on,” she said.
“We shouldn’t have to always be looking over our shoulder and be scared of going out.
“There is enough to think about when going out, let alone thinking about getting spiked.
“I would hate for this to happen to someone else and the outcome turn out worse.”
Sunshine Coast police issued a release this month urging party-goers to be wary of drink spiking after a spate of incidents.
There were three alleged drink-spiking episodes during one weekend recently, in which alcohol or other drugs were added to drinks without the victims’ knowledge or consent.
Police reminded revellers to be aware of their surroundings when ordering and drinking alcohol.
According to the Queensland Police Drugs and Alcohol Unit, the most common drug used in drink spiking was alcohol, which may not be noticeable or detected.
What you can do to avoid drink spiking
- Consider a practice of no more than two standard drinks in one glass.
- Do not leave your drink unattended.
- Always buy your own drinks.
- Don’t drink or taste any else’s drink.
- Don’t accept drinks from strangers.
- Throw your drink away if you taste something strange.
If you start to feel strange, sick or more drunk than you should be then seek assistance with a friend or venue staff.
What businesses can do:
Remember you have a legal obligation to provide a safe environment for patrons and staff.
- Have staff monitor any patron or group of patrons indulging in multiple shots of drinks.
- Have bar staff be vigilant of unattended glasses.
- Effectively addressing any drug issue in your venue will play an important role in meeting this obligation.
- Consider signage such as ‘Police will be contacted if anyone is found in possession of illicit drugs or weapons’ and this behaviour will not be tolerated’.
- Act quickly to evict and ban people involved in this behaviour.
- Make regular checks on toilets, car parks and surrounding gardens.
- Keep all these facilities clean and well maintained.
- Consider having an attendant in or around toilets to discourage unacceptable crowding of people.
A person who administers, or attempts to administer, in drink a substance to another person without the other person having knowledge of the substance with intent to cause the other person to be stupefied and overpowered is guilty of a crime and is liable to imprisonment for five years.
