I ended up in A&E after being spiked in Concert Square

I’d had a busy day at uni, cocktail training at work and needed a night in town. After rushing around to get ready I headed off with some friends excited for an alcohol fuelled evening. My expectations were something along the lines of going to a few clubs, getting a take away and falling into bed. They didn’t include collapsing outside a club, drifting in and out of consciousness for three hours and ending the night in A&E.

As a female I’ve always been told to keep my drink with me at all times and not to trust strangers, but when you’re tipsy and having fun those thoughts don’t stay at the front of your mind. We were in a club myself and friends visit regularly, when a good looking guy approached me. After dancing for a while, he asked what I wanted and headed off to the bar to get me another drink.

The start of a regular night out

Excitedly taking a free drink I downed it and returned to my friends, by now we’d all had the same amount to drink as we’d been buying rounds all evening. Roughly 15-20 minutes later I begun to feel very strange, everything from this point is fuzzy in my mind but I’ve been filled in on what happened by those who were there.

I started to fall over even though I was standing still and clung to a window ledge in the club to steady myself. Whilst this was happening the guy who had bought me the previous drink was still attempting to make a move on me. My friends took me away from him to go outside where I collapsed and hit my head on a plant pot.

I had no control over my limbs

After being dragged into a cab, once home I began to vomit a lot. I was drifting in and out of consciousness, slurring my words and had little awareness of my surroundings. I don’t remember any of this myself but I do remember it wasn’t anything like feeling drunk, I genuinely thought I was going to die.

My friend and psychology student, Abbie, who was there at the time, said: “Trying to get you up the stairs in your house was absolutely impossible your legs just couldn’t work. It was pretty scary to see you like that because we didn’t know what had happened. You’d be unconscious and we’d panic but then you’d come back around for a bit so we were stuck in deciding whether to call for help or not”.

Eventually after 111 was rung, they told my friends to put me on my back even though I was already in the recovery position. I choked on my vomit, stopped breathing temporarily and an ambulance was called.

That night I spent 6 hours in A&E. It was frustrating and difficult to get treated as I was seen as just another drunk student despite friends repeatedly telling doctors I’d definitely been spiked. The doctors eventually suspected it was GHB or Rohypnol.

I know it’s easy to forget to be safe when you’re drunk, and when you’re offered a free drink it’s hard to say no. But if I could give students one piece of advice it would be to always watch where your drink comes from. If you feel ‘funny’ after a stranger buys you a drink make sure you tell someone. Sure let that cute lad buy you one, just make sure you go to the bar with him.

If you need advice or have been through something similar and would like help call 111 or use NHS choices.