Warning Issued About ‘Needle Spiking’ Trend That Could Affect Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois Bars and Festivals

Being a single female, enjoying the bar or festival scene comes with a lot of risks. Whenever a lot of alcohol is involved, sometimes bad things happen. For as long as I can remember, women had to be careful their drinks weren't spiked.

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Not the spiked where you thought you were drinking non-alcoholic drinks, only to find out someone had been putting liquor in your drinks. That, you can usually tell.

I'm talking about the kind of spiking that happens when a drug is unknowingly put into someone's drink. Drugs like Rohypnol (roofie) or Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), also known as date-rape drugs, are being used in different, but equally dangerous ways.

Now, a horrifying new trend where people are being spiked by injection with needles has emerged in Europe and is making its way around the world. The fear is that as a new school year begins on college campuses, this trend will find its way to the US.

What exactly is Needle Spiking?

According to dokteronline.com,

How does needle even spiking happen?

You would think if someone comes up to you and gives you a shot, you would know it. Right?

Some medical professionals say that something like this happening is highly unlikely. To administer a shot through someone's clothes, while they are moving. like dancing or walking, even standing still, would be nearly impossible.

But, other health care professionals say it can, and it does happen.

Think about this. even if you know someone just came up to you and gave you a shot with a syringe, Some of the drugs used can work pretty quickly.

Also, as crazy as it sounds, according to an interview with BBC News, Dr. Shirin Lakhani, a cosmetic surgeon, had this to say,

A young woman at a club in Australia gets Needle Spiked

What to do if you think you have been Needle Spiked?

As students head back to college campuses and hangouts, officials in the US are worried that Needle Spiking with become a major fear. Even those not in college could be at risk. If you are someone that goes to nightclubs, bars, or music festivals, you may be more susceptible to being spiked.

If you are feeling any symptoms, a lot of which just seem like a hangover, while other symptoms are way more severe, first, look for an injection site.

Very much like drink spiking, here are the things you should do immediately if you think your friend may have been spiked.

How can Needle Spiking be prevented?

The sad and terrifying part of all this is that there is no real way to prevent it. I searched everywhere for an answer.

[Bustle, The Guardian, BBC News]