i went out saturday night, and i sudpect my drink was spiked, it is now monday and i still feel sick and my body is overheating, should i make a doctors appointment?
Hi there,
When someone puts drugs into your drink this is called "spiking". It's illegal for someone to do this and it can be very dangerous for your safety and health. If you think your drink has been spiked, it's important to get help from someone you trust as soon as possible.
People can spike drinks for different reasons, but all of them are illegal and they could face up to 10 years in prison if caught. Sometimes people spike drinks to take advantage of someone or to sexually abuse and rape them. A lot of people think it's mostly women who have their drinks spiked but actually men are just as likely to have their drink spiked. Sometimes people might spike a drink so they can steal from you - for example, taking your phone, wallet or purse and making you think you lost it.
When on nights out there are some important things that can help you to stay safe. Firstly try to never leave your drink unattended. If you're dancing or need to go to the bathroom, take it with you or leave it with someone you trust. Stay with your friends as much as possible and if strangers buy you a drink, make sure you go to the bar with them and take the drink from the bartender yourself.
There are signs that a drink has been spiked. If you or a friend quickly becomes very confused, loses balance or seems very drunk very quickly it might be because the drink was spiked. If you think this has happened, tell a bouncer or one of the bar staff straight away. A responsible bar should help you to get medical help or to get home safely.
The drugs that might have been put in your drink last night could still be affecting you in the morning. It's always okay to get medical help if you feel like your drink has been spiked. You don't know what was in your drink, so it's best to get checked out no matter what. You can go to an NHS walk-in centre or to your local A&E to get help. If someone becomes unconscious or unresponsive call 999 straight away.
I hope this has helped but remember that Childline is here 24 hours, every day. There's always someone here to listen if you need to talk to a counsellor.
Thanks for your letter.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
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