How to look after yourself on a night out.

See the full sized image by beatnikside@Flickr here. 

I’ll get this round in.
We all do it, or plan to. You hit 18, head off to uni and want to go out every night and have a good time with your friends. Some people just want to the good vibes, others want to have that 2am kiss with the guy who’s been eyeing them over the dance floor and others, sadly, just want to get so drunk they can’t walk. Those last group of people, however, are not the only ones in danger on a night out – everyone is.

Caution.
Not everyone in the club will be there to have a good time, some people are there because they know they can pray upon those who are less than attentive. All it takes is to look away from your drink for ten seconds – ten seconds is plenty of time to slip something in. It happens more often than statistics claim, I know plenty of people who have been spiked and never reported it because they managed to get home safely before the effects took hold.
This is where watching out for yourself and your friends comes into play. I’m not saying every guy on his own is trying to spike your drink so he can rape you; I’m saying that anyone could be trying to spike your drink, or your friends. If you feel like you’re not yourself, more drunk than you should be or just out of sorts, tell a friend and see if someone will take you home. If no one will take you home then go to the clubs cloakroom and explain what’s going on – they will help you (cloakroom’s also usually stock plasters, tampons and sanitary towels if you ever get caught short)!
If you notice that a friend is acting strangely, seems a bit more drunk than they should be for the amount they’ve drunk or just not themselves then help them. Take them home, go outside for fresh air, anything.

What to do?
If your, or a friend’s drink, has been spiked it’s very likely that there’s going to be a lot of sick, a very severe hangover and possibly blank spots of the night before. There is usually no need to panic unless breathing becomes laboured, there’s blood in their sick or it’s more than you think you can handle. If the condition becomes too much for your, or a friend, to handle them go to hospital. It could save a life.

Prevention.
There’s no sure fire way to ensure that your drink is never spiked, but there’s a few things which you can do on your night out to make sure you and your friends stay safe.

• Only buy bottled drinks – the neck of the bottle is much easier to keep covered with your hand. It also means that someone watching your drink is more likely to notice someone fiddling around and putting something in it.
• If you buy drinks in glasses then keep them in your hands at all time in front of you. If you can, cover the top of the glass with your hand as much as you can when you’re not drinking.
• If you leave your drink unattended for even thirty seconds, buy a new one.
• Never drink something you find lying on a table.
• Watch friends drink if they go to the bathroom and vice versa.
• Discuss with your friends before hand what you want to all do if you think someone has been spiked – maybe even implement a buddy system.

Stay safe on your nights out, but don’t let the worry of being spiked ruin a good night out!