That's right, 'Ow!'
When she looked at me at the bar, she thought she might have been injected with a drug.
Prior to her move to London in September for graduate school, my friend Micaela, 27, received a warning from a friend in Germany about spiking, or injecting drugs into someone's body with a hypodermic needle.
According to a recent report by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, there was a sudden increase in needle spiking across the country in October of 2011.
She hadn't even taken a sip of her drink when she felt the jab in her hip. Within five minutes, she knew something wasn't right. She couldn't see straight after becoming woozy. She told me that she was sick.
She didn't remember what happened after that, but she collapsed to the floor among a group of people standing around her limp body. I carried her to the exit because I was afraid of a stranger picking her up.
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Drink spiking and needle spiking are the two most common types of spiking.
Adding drugs, like tranquilizers, or putting alcohol into a non-alcoholic drink is called drink spiking.
Dozens of needle-spiking cases have been reported so far this year in Spain, where Marco Antonio Jimenez is a police officer.
Jiménez said that the motive behind needle-spiking might not be sexual assault. He said that people seem to be targeted for a robbery or for the purpose of intimidation.
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Female students in their twenties are more likely to be involved in needle incidents in pubs, clubs and festivals, according to U.K. police data. Colin Mackie is the co- founder of Spike Aware UK, an organization raising awareness of the issue since last year. Greg died in a spiking-related incident.
9% of women and 4% of men in the UK said they'd been spiked.
Oscar Buss said he felt embarrassed after he was injected with a needle in England. People didn't think I was right. A male nurse vouched for Buss to get a blood test when the doctor wasn't sure he had been spiked.
Many of the injections don't have drugs in them. In December of 2021, the UK National Police Chief's Council began testing for drugs, and by August of the following year, more than half of the samples contained no drugs at all. There was a drug that supported a needle-spiking incident.
Young people in the U.K. boycotted nightclubs in October of 2021.
It seemed to be spreading quickly. Nightclubs should be required to legally search guests upon entry according to a petition signed by over 170,000 people. In November 2021, parliament debated the petition and decided that decisions for searches should be left to local authorities.
During a post-pandemic time when people are craving fun and new experiences, the need for awareness and action against the violent attacks has arisen.
The spread of the threat beyond the U.K. has had a knock-on effect.
Dame Diana Johnson, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, told USA TODAY that there wasn't enough effort to understand how common spiking incidents are.
Being aware that needle-spiking is a real possibility is the most important thing for anyone who has not encountered it before.
He said that tourists have been targets of spiking because they carry a lot of valuables. He said that the holiday season poses a high risk due to frequent parties and increased travel.
It's not about being afraid. Symptoms of spiking include dizziness, confusion or loss of consciousness.
It's important to make a plan of action before a night out in case of an attack, such as never putting your drink down and using the buddy system.
It's easy to think about what would have happened if I hadn't arrived at the bar so quickly. I wouldn't have thought twice about that needle if I'd known about it.
If you or a friend are spiked in a bar or club, report it to the venue staff immediately. Go to the hospital immediately for testing and reporting the attack to local authorities.
There were over a thousand cases of needle injection between the beginning of September and the end of December. There have been no convictions for needle spiking as of October 2022.
If there is an emergency or unfolding crisis, register with your embassy to let them know. The State Department has a program for US citizens.
Travelers who get sick abroad should consider travel insurance. Hospitals outside of the US may want to hold personal credit cards on file or demand guarantees for payment before services are provided.
Needle spiking gained traction in Europe.
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