|
|
Drunk
or drugged?
Most ADF personnel are of an age where they are
most likely to have their drink spiked - men included.
Leesha Furse tells you what to look out for when you are socialising.
 |
| Some
drugs used to spike drinks have no colour, taste or smell. |
MANY
of us will enjoy a beverage or two when we're out celebrating
the end of the year - but how will you tell the difference
between too much alcohol and a spiked drink?
An educated guess is the best you can probably do, but there's
plenty you can do to avoid having to guess in the first place.
Signs
of spiking
Unless
you have seen someone put a pill, powder or liquid in your drink,
or had blood and urine tests that return positive results, it
is difficult to know for certain whether a drink has been spiked
- some drugs used to spike drinks have no colour, taste
or smell.
The effects on the body of consuming a spiked drink can include
dizziness, nausea and vomiting, reduced coordination, loss of
balance and loss of consciousness - similar effects to
too much alcohol.
Some people who have had their drink spiked also have reported
being unable to move or communicate properly at the time and
being confused about what happened afterwards. The effects of
drink spiking can sometimes last for several hours and victims
may not remember what happened when the drug wears off. Drugs
can be dangerous when mixed with alcohol and there is a risk
that these combinations could even result in death.
The
likely victims
Anyone
could have their drink spiked, although the data from the Australian
Institute of Criminology's recent report on drink spiking
suggests the majority of ADF personnel are at an age where they
are more likely to be victims. The Institute's findings
included that:
-
about
half of drink-spiking victims are aged under 24, while about
one-third are aged between 25 and 34;
-
the majority of reported drink spiking incidents have no associated
criminal victimisation, indicating that “prank spiking”
may be a common motivation; and
-
four out of five victims are female.
The
Institute estimated that between 3000 and 4000 suspected incidents
of drink spiking occurred in Australia from July 2002 to June
2003. About one-third of these incidents involved sexual assault.
Drugs
of choice
The
drink most commonly spiked is an alcoholic one, but spiking
of soft drinks, coffee, tea and hot chocolate has also been
reported.
For this reason, two-thirds of drink spiking incidents occur
in licensed premises, but it can happen at private parties or
- just as likely for a sexual assault victim - at
their or the offender's home.
Although drugs such as Rohypnol are sometimes used for spiking,
alcohol is the most commonly used drug to facilitate sexual
assault.
This happens when alcohol is added to a non-alcoholic drink,
or when an alcoholic drink has shots of spirits added without
the person requesting it.
Minimise
risk
There
is no “typical” incident of drink spiking, the Institute's
report says, but you can be more aware of it happening by adopting
these tactics:
-
keep
an eye on your drink; don't leave it unattended;
-
never let someone you don't know and trust give you
an opened drink;
-
watch your drink being poured;
-
look out for friends - if they seem to be behaving strangely
or are “really out of it”, even if they haven't
drunk much, get them to a safe place; and
-
if you believe you may have consumed a spiked drink, ask someone
you trust to get you to a safe place. If possible, keep your
drink with you as it may provide useful evidence.
-
Call
000 in an emergency. Alert someone trustworthy, such as a
friend or member of the staff at the venue.
-
Other than in an emergency, contact your ADF medical centre
or psychologist.
-
Contact police - the more drink spiking is reported,
the more that something can be done about the situation.
Victims of drink spiking, especially where sexual assault is involved,
are encouraged to seek support and assistance from someone trusted,
such as medical personnel, psychologists, chaplains or social
workers.
Information
for this article is based on drink spiking fact sheets by the
ADF Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Service and the Australian
Drug Foundation, and the Australian Institute of Criminology's
report: National project on drink spiking:
investigating the nature and extent of drink spiking in Australia.
|
| |
|
|
.
|
|
