Live Life Team
This is a condition which happens when some sort of a mind altering substance has been added to the drink without the individual knowing about the same. The mind altering can be some kind of drugs or alcohol which can make the behavior of the individual a little offbeat or lose complete control of one. The reasons for drink spiking can be various ranging from fun, playing a prank or serious offences like sexual assaults, theft or rape. The condition can vary depending on the usage of certain drugs and the amount of alcohol being used in the drink. Drink spiking is an illegal activity and can call for a 10 years of imprisonment.
Symptoms
The symptoms would vary depending on the drug being used to spike the drink. The other factors which may play a role would be body shape, size and age and off course the amount of alcohol intake. The most common drugs for spiking the drink are Gamma-hydroxybutyrate which is a depressant drug and comes in both powdered and liquid form. Then there is rohyphnol which is a date rape drug, an extremely strong drug, swallowed as a pill. The other to be mentioned is the Ketamine which is used in powder format. All of the mentioned drugs would act as an anesthetic when mixed in alcohol and the person starts to lose control of him or herself which makes it tough for them to reduce the ability of an individual towards resisting a robbery or any sexual assault. All of these drugs do not have a taste, or a different color or an odor making them completely impossible to detect. One can only find that out later after it has taken effect, or also during the drugs taking the victim over. The symptoms can start to show up in 5 to 20 minutes of taking the drink and depending on the dosage and drug can last up to 12 hours. Some of the most common symptoms can be confusion or disorientation, dizziness, nausea, hallucinations, tiredness, fatigue, visual problems, paranoia, amnesia and in some rare cases due to heavy dosage, it can even cause victim to suffer muscle spasm, go into coma or even cause death in certain cases.
What to Do
Once the victim suddenly feels that he/she is feeling drunk just after a little drink or they suspect of the drink being spiked one can immediately take help of the friends or family. One can also contact the club or pub or the place manager wherever they are. Also one should try to reach a safe place as soon as possible and go to only someone you trust completely. They can also call up a trustworthy person to pick them up, incase they are among strangers. One should keep in mind to get to a safer place, since the major motive is to keep away from any type of harm.
Prevention
Some tips are not to leave your drink away, also make sure you drink among friends or keep a watch when among strangers, not to go in a situation which is not comfortable and never accept drinks from unknowns.
