3 April 2005

Is drink spiking really surging? And what should anyone be doing?

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times returns our attention to the vexed issue of drink spiking. With reported incidents surging sixfold while at the same time no-one has been caught.

You would have thought that if rape or robbery was the motive in all of these incidents that there would be some forensic evidence?

It does make some people wonder if, perhaps, the issue du jour hasn’t, perhaps, in some cases, become an easy out for responsibility avoidance?

In any event Steve Pratt can be relied upon to inject some comic relief (a pratt-fall perhaps?)

Mr Pratt also suggested clubs should make tamper-proof drink lids so patrons could cover their drinks.

“Anything we can do to make the job of a drink spiker a little harder or less inconspicuous is important and necessary.”

I think he means “Anything we can do, no matter how disruptive, must be suggested to give a local politician something to talk about”.

This article is chockas with interesting quotes though, take this one which might be Hargreaves attributed but it’s hard to tell:

Sufficient penalties existed in the ACT for those caught.

Ummm, until we catch and convict someone (anyone?) on what do we base this statement?

More certainly of Hargreaves provenance was this:

Police Minister John Hargreaves said the increased number of reports was not necessarily an indication that drink spiking was suddenly rampant in Canberra.

He said government and police awareness programs had raised the profile of the crime and people were now more willing to report the problem.

“It is a measure of the success of those programs that community awareness of the problem is high and people are now prepared to talk about it. I would expect reported incidences to rise.”

So the success of these programs is measured in how many people report a crime? This is going to be fantastic news for governments the world over.

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Whilst I empathise with the victims of crimes, I hold no empathy for chicks on the prowl with one hand on the keypad of their nokia and the other raising a bottle of cranberry vodka or suchlike to their lips every 10 seconds.

They quickly get initiated to the real world, where there are people out there looking for – yes you guessed it, SEX. Caught unawares via having your guard lowered by alcohol is your own damn fault.

In my past I’ve woken up with some real feral bush-pigs. I’m sure most of us have done things we regretted in the morning, and the only thing you can do is valiantly say good morning and arrange the quickest exit plan.

Being drugged is of course a different thing, and should be treated in an appropriate manner. I would suggest to all of the people who have been turned away by the cops for lack of evidence return to them and suggest that they database complaints, applying the theorum that if you get enough complaints about a person, there’s something in it to be investigated.

If they don’t take any details from you, when you have requested them to take them, then they are breaching their own code of conduct and are in the shit, I’m sure some of the other RA posters could fill you in on the specifics.

That said it’s been 6 months since the CT ran this exact same story, they must have it programmed into outlook.

My friend, an attractive, outgoing and very sensible 47-year-old mother had her drink spiked recently in Melbourne. She was out with a group of workmates from the restaurant she worked at, and had only two drinks. She was sitting in a quiet area of a bar with a younger girl – who ended up being taken to hospital later by her mother, because another friend took her home after she got very, very confused, drowsy and had lost the ability to walk or talk properly. The hospital found a drug in her system.

My friend on the other hand, woke up in her own bed the next morning She had most definitely been repeatedly raped, and knows who did it, because he was still there with her when she woke up. He used her mobile to phone his pregnant girlfriend, and to call a taxi. He had walked into her flatmate’s room during the night and been told to get the f out – the flatmate unfortunately very wrongly assumed my friend was having an out of character fling with this guy, and didn’t check to see if she was ok.

So, there’s an eyewitness to him being in her home, phone records to prove he rang his home and the taxi, and proof of the drug in the system of the girl she was drinking with.

My friend was unable to walk that day, and spent the entire day vomiting. She also scrubbed herself clean to get rid of the disgusting events of the night before, and only went to the police two days later after seeking help and support from her flatmate.

And regardless of the evidence there is, the police say they don’t have enough evidence to convict him; it is his word against hers – and he said she was willing. What a fine example of how screwed up the system is hey? Perhaps the police should have the right to display his picture around the bar this happened in, and ask other women to come forward who recognise him has the man who drugged and raped them. Perhaps then they could decide whether there’s enough evidence… because he has surely done it before, and sadly, will surely do it again. This bastard has since left Melbourne and is now in Queensland.

To all you pricks above who so readily suggest it is a convenient way for a woman to write off a bad decision made while blind drunk – this could have been your mother!

If we are going to get right into it lets use a couple of names. Let people know which places to avoid. SYRUP night club in Tassie is one of the worst and I have also noticed strange goings on in shooters on the gold coast too.
Some people have, most people lie to get out of sticky situations. Its hard to seperate those telling the truth and those not, but I think it is generally people makeing shit up to get out bad situations being drunk has put them in. I mean I have been partying hard for the last six years, I am a young attractive girl who has refused to accept drinks and made bar people go back and get me another and open it in front of me. Most of them doing the right thing don’t mind if you ask, its law that they do it so you can get them into trouble if they carry on. Its better to avoid and be aware. Don’t leave your drink and go and dance.Drink up, finish it first or chuck it away. Don’t leave it with so called ‘Friends’ eithee, not unless you are sure they are really trust worthy. Never accept a drink from a stranger unless you go to the bar with them and watch the bar person make it for you. Its pretty simple to avoid, and if anything should happen make sure you are out with a couple of mates that have seen you drunk before, can recognise the difference and get you to a hospital and look after you.

ghb, as per my research, is only supposed to be active for 3-4 hours.. i don’t know if it would equate to your 3 days.. unless it was messy G (cause lets face it, it can be manufactured easily in your kitchen)

my suggestion:- go to the Phoenix. Most of the patron’s are too stingy with their drugs to bother putting them in other people’s drinks. And it would probably be liquid LSD rather than some nasty depressant.

I have been drink spiked recently, and if you’ve seen me, im not that good looking bloke… I was drinking with a couple of really good looking girls (it doesn’t happen often) and I think I got something that was meant for one of them… Of course I didn’t realise anything was wrong, and kept drinking… and suddenly went really weird and vanished for a few hours and turned up later with no memory of the incident. I previously owned a bar (which never had any spiking allegations by the way), and I’m and not a stranger to a beer or ten, so I know a hangover when I get one, and this was no hangover as I couldn’t get to sleep for three days after the event.. I couldn’t eat for almost the whole three days and didn’t get out of bed for almost a day after I got home which by then it was too late to go to the police as most spikes will leave your system within 24 hours… I know others too who have been spiked and you probably won’t know it at the time but believe me it aint no hangover and you’ll know about it for a few days afterwards… I won’t go into the gory details of the after effects and what comes out of your body when you get spiked… but this really sucked, and I’d hate to be a woman that’s half my size and cop that. After discussing the effects with some other people, I’ve heard the name GBH come up as a possible drug… (greivous bodily harm???), its new apparantley… has anyone else heard of it???

You guys have no idea have you?
Untill something happens to someone you know, you can’t comment or blame too much drink.
Sure 9 times out of ten someone may have a bit too much, but on that tenth time when the drink is spiked, and they end up being taken somewhere and raped and not remembering how they got there, then you can’t turn around and blame drink.
Oh and if your going to name names, can I add shooters night club. Thats where the bar staff have a reputation of spiking the drinks…

I think its being blown totally out of proportion. I have been partying hard all over world for years and i cant recall any incidents of drink spiking at all. There have been times when ive woken up and for a while there i couldnt work out were i was. Or couldnt remember how I got home. I also had my wallet picked in London with over 450 pounds and credit cards stolen. Now I only knew of this when I went to pay the taxi driver and realised I no longer had my wallet. I also fell a sleep in the taxi. I could have gone to the police and claimed my drink had been spiked but the sad fact is i got a bit to drunk and foolishly kept my wallet in my back pocket in a packed night club.

the South pacific leagues club is where the scum of civic lurke.. because of the cheap drinks, pokies etc… calling it ‘up market’ i certainly hope you are joking…

if you cant get laid anywhere else, everyone knows that your chances increase 10 fold if you head into paccas.

my advise would be to head to mooseheads, ICBM or North, the security in these places is more professional. the bouncer at south pacs has an interesting reputation

drink till you spew.

passout.

then blame a spiked drink…

As soon as something has got a name everyones got it.

Its happened to a friend of mine.
At a delightful, upmarket, wonderful club located under ground, with its entry on the bus interchange. is the only “nightclub” in the city with pokies, if it still has them. she knows who did it too.

Don’t believe everything you read about drink spiking. Reported incidents increasing six-fold my arse!

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