‘I remember nothing after that’: Cardiff students share their spiking experiences

A night out for many is pass and parcel of Uni life. It's something we all look forward to at the end of the week as a way to relax and have fun with friends. You've heard about spiking and to watch your drinks, but you never think it'll happen to you. Yet, each week spiking incidents are becoming more and more common.

Some students have shared their experiences of being spiked with The Cardiff Tab and we have protected their identities.

Jemma*

"I always tend to get [VKs] because I can hold my thumb over the top but they must have managed to get to my drink because I remember nothing after that", she recalled.

A tip often given is to hold a hand over a drink to stop anything unknown being put into them.

Luckily, Jemma's friends noticed she "looked out of sorts" so took her home. She felt so awful that she couldn't go to her lectures the next day.

Ben*

Enjoying a night in Live Lounge, the last thing he remembers is "buying a vodka lemonade then it went black." He "vaguely remembers stumbling down through the city hall underpass before it went completely dark." His girlfriend said he "couldn't string a sentence together and [his] face was completely vacant", which is unusual for Ben.

As a guy, he explains he never expected this to happen to him. The next day, he "felt really grotty and just a bit grim" but "knew for sure it wasn't just a hangover as I haven't felt that bad after a night out ever." It was also incredibly scary for his girlfriend too as she had never seen him like that.

Sarah*

A guy took a photo of Sarah and her friend with "our drinks left on the bar behind us". She downed her friends drink and proceeded to drink her own. "The next thing I remember is being carried to the medical room and then waking up the next morning." According to her friend, she "passed out on the dance floor then a further 3 times on the way to the medical room."

"The next day I had really high blood pressure and just generally felt really stressed and on edge". She also added that she "didn't really sleep properly for the next 2 days".

Lucy*

Lucy had been buying drinks in Pryzm when "a guy knocked it out my hand and insisted on buying me another". She accepted and "doesn't remember anything after that of the night". She messaged her friend and told him that the guy would not leave her alone. Luckily her friend found her but before she could eat, she "passed out head on the table" and then made it home.

She "spent the next 24 hours being violently ill." As well as feeling "stupidly ill" the next day but it "actually put me off going out for a month".

A spokesperson from the Cardiff University Students' Union said: "The Students' Union invests in a number of safety measures." To ensure the students get home safely, they said their measures "includes paying for two onsite paramedics at every event and working closely with the South Wales Police to run the Safety Bus."

Mike Neate, community safety student liaison officer told The Cardiff Tab: "As always, our advice is to drink responsibly, avoid drinks you haven't seen being poured, never leave drinks unattended, stay with friends, and arrange transport home in advance."

Spiking can happen to anyone and at any time so taking care of yourself and your friends is essential.

Feature image via Pryzm Facebook page.