One aspect of our leisure time that we tend to avoid is that other people are out to ruin it for us – which is why This Site agrees with St John Ambulance that you should learn ‘spiking first aid’ to protect friends over Christmas.
Spiking is when someone gives another person alcohol or drugs without their knowledge or consent. It’s illegal, but almost one in four (23 per cent) of 18 to 43-year-olds told a survey it had “definitely” happened to them.
This Writer was spiked earlier this year, at the age of 54.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
There are many ways a person might be spiked, including:
- drink spiking: putting alcohol or drugs in their drink
- needle spiking: injecting them with drugs
- vape/cigarette spiking: putting drugs in their vape or cigarette
So what is ‘spiking first aid’?
First you need to recognise the signs:
- Feeling drunk or drowsy,
- Being “out of it” or more drunk than expected,
- Mental confusion,
- Slurred speech,
- Memory loss,
- Loss of inhibitions,
- Nausea,
- Vomiting,
- Breathing problems,
- Muscle spasms or seizures,
- Loss of consciousness
- A severe hangover after drinking little or no alcohol.
Prevention is better than cure so when you are out with friends, stay together.
Pace yourself. Keep an eye on how much you and your friends are drinking.
Many bars and nightclubs (and many universities) offer bottle ‘bungs’ like a cork which can prevent drinks being spiked – ask for one.
Don’t accept drinks from strangers, especially after you have had a few drinks.
If you see these signs in someone else, first you should make sure they are not alone at any time.
If you’re in a public place like a pub, hotel or restaurant, tell bar/event staff and police; if in private, contact the police. Report any suspicious behaviour.
Encourage victims to drink water – little but often. Do not let them have more alcohol.
Try to get them to a safe place and make sure someone always stays with them.
If someone becomes unresponsive, put them in the recovery position and call an ambulance. You should also know how to do CPR in case somebody stops breathing.
If you believe that you have been spiked, then if you have used recreational drugs or drunk a lot of alcohol, it’s important to tell your friends what you have taken and when and get medical help from event staff if you need it.
Plan your route home—book taxis or download a rideshare app if trains or buses are not running.
Most of all, look out for each other so you can end the night safely.
Follow these guidelines and you should be able to enjoy your evening safely – even if you or a friend do fall victim to spiking.
Source: Learn ‘spiking first aid’ to protect friends over Christmas, St John Ambulance urges | UK News | Sky News
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Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
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Health Warning: Government! is now available
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The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Learn ‘spiking first aid’ to protect friends over Christmas
One aspect of our leisure time that we tend to avoid is that other people are out to ruin it for us – which is why This Site agrees with St John Ambulance that you should learn ‘spiking first aid’ to protect friends over Christmas.
Spiking is when someone gives another person alcohol or drugs without their knowledge or consent. It’s illegal, but almost one in four (23 per cent) of 18 to 43-year-olds told a survey it had “definitely” happened to them.
This Writer was spiked earlier this year, at the age of 54.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
There are many ways a person might be spiked, including:
So what is ‘spiking first aid’?
First you need to recognise the signs:
Prevention is better than cure so when you are out with friends, stay together.
Pace yourself. Keep an eye on how much you and your friends are drinking.
Many bars and nightclubs (and many universities) offer bottle ‘bungs’ like a cork which can prevent drinks being spiked – ask for one.
Don’t accept drinks from strangers, especially after you have had a few drinks.
If you see these signs in someone else, first you should make sure they are not alone at any time.
If you’re in a public place like a pub, hotel or restaurant, tell bar/event staff and police; if in private, contact the police. Report any suspicious behaviour.
Encourage victims to drink water – little but often. Do not let them have more alcohol.
Try to get them to a safe place and make sure someone always stays with them.
If someone becomes unresponsive, put them in the recovery position and call an ambulance. You should also know how to do CPR in case somebody stops breathing.
If you believe that you have been spiked, then if you have used recreational drugs or drunk a lot of alcohol, it’s important to tell your friends what you have taken and when and get medical help from event staff if you need it.
Plan your route home—book taxis or download a rideshare app if trains or buses are not running.
Most of all, look out for each other so you can end the night safely.
Follow these guidelines and you should be able to enjoy your evening safely – even if you or a friend do fall victim to spiking.
Source: Learn ‘spiking first aid’ to protect friends over Christmas, St John Ambulance urges | UK News | Sky News
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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