This is a contributed piece from Dale Bendler, a former CIA agent and dad. Dale works
with young people through his popular online Young Adult Safety Course.
It’s a parent’s nightmare scenario: Your teenager is out and about and they’ve been secretly drugged. Now, your child is no longer in a condition to say “no.” The risk of drink spiking has been on the rise in recent years, and it is imperative that we talk to our teens about this danger.
Picture the party scene on campus, off campus, at a music concert, or a sporting event (including that ubiquitous red solo cup). Bear in mind that the danger of drink spiking presents itself at all social-economic levels—not just in sketchy nightclubs but also in dorms at prestigious universities. And remember, this threat exists even if your child’s drink is non-alcoholic.
5 Safety Tips to Protect Teens from Drink Spiking
Knowing that this threat can be lurking anywhere your teen or young adult might be, please share these basic safety tips with your teenager:
1. Stay with a group of friends you trust.
This is your best defense. Stay with your friends and never stray off with a group of “cool” strangers. Go out with pals—the more the better. It is really hard for a criminal to secretly slip “roofies” into 4 or 5 separate solo cups. This way friends can watch friends.
2. Make your own drink and keep it covered.
Don’t accept a drink from someone else at a party. Instead, make your own and carry your solo cup with your hand covering the top. Some recommend a prophylactic-like cover with a straw hole for your cup, but the hand as a shield will work too. A criminal will spot your handhold and move on to a more vulnerable victim.
3. Take your drink with you wherever you go.
Yes, that means into the bathroom or portapotty—yucky, I know, but we do not leave drinks unattended outside. Ever. We carry our own drinks wherever we go and keep them covered.
4. You might be able to taste if your drink is spiked—but you might not.
Some say a potential victim can spot a spiked drink because of a curious taste, fizziness, or cloudiness. True, if you see these changes in your glass, of course, set the drink down or pour it out. But be careful, because not seeing these changes to your drink could lead you to a “false positive” conclusion. Your drink could still be spiked but the drug caused no visible reaction so you think all is OK.
Related: Parents, Your Teens Are Watching When You Don’t Drink Responsibly
5. A drug in your drink can turn deadly.
Because of the scourge of highly lethal fentanyl on our city streets combined with the hazard posed by “corner chemists,” a “date rape” drug easily can turn deadly. Accordingly, and very importantly, if you or your friend feel ill while drinking, err on the side of caution and go to the ER immediately.
What’s in a “Spiked” Drink?
Let’s take a deeper look at the most common “poisons” out there. I suggest you highlight this paragraph with your kids because it’s scary and contains information they need to know.
- Rohypnol: A.K.A. “roofie”, the infamous “date rape” drug, Rohypnol goes right after your central nervous system, causing blackout. Rohypnol is not approved for medical use in the US; the drug is smuggled across the border from Mexico.
- Ketamine: Ketamine causes the victim to lose perceptions of sight and sound, with no memory of what happened while under the influence. This drug is used as an anesthetic in animals and humans.
- GHB: A.K.A. as “liquid ecstacy”, this drug slows down the messaging between brain and body. It works in about 15 minutes, which means the criminal can watch you deteriorate and strike when you can no longer say “no.”
- Fentanyl: Fentanyl is an opioid painkiller 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. It causes over 70,000 deaths by overdose per year in the U.S. and is also smuggled across our southern border. (Editors note: sources report that drugs like fentanyl are more often smuggled over the border by U.S. citizens than by migrants).
Remember, alcohol is also a drug. Most mixed drinks are made with one shot of hard liquor and then some sort of sweet mixer like fruit juice or soda. However, a bad bartender might add 2 or even 3 shots to a drink, and with some sugar and lots of ice, the drink tastes good and is refreshing. All that booze goes down fast! Someone could be watching you drink, and that someone could be trying to get you drunk so you cannot say “no” while you experience memory loss and confusion.
True friends look out for one other—don’t ever forget that.
You might also like to read: Teens and Vaping—How to Respond, Talk Through It, and Get Them to Stop
When in Doubt, Pour it Out
If your teenager and their group of friends, even if just amongst themselves, are raising the slightest doubt about the drink in their hands, remind them that that’s when they should just set the cup down. Depart the premises. Maybe the drink was too strong or was offered for free by a stranger. Maybe they have bad vibes about the crowd or the venue. Just put the drink down or discreetly pour it out. Don’t confront; just leave.
Also, there are commercially available test strips you or your teen can purchase to help keep them safe. These test strips are treated with chemicals and act like a litmus test. And bonus—they can conveniently fit in a phone pocket or purse. The tests are not 100% accurate, but do serve as an indicator. Here’s our take on these tests, and again please share with your kids: If you get to the point where you need to test your drink for poison, then you are in the wrong place, hanging with the wrong crowd—”when in doubt, pour it out.”
Stay safe, Dale
Looking for an additional resource to help you ensure your teens have all the skills they need?
We recommend Life Skills for Teens: How to Cook, Clean, Manage Money, Fix Your Car, Perform First Aid, and Just About Everything in Between by Karen Harris.
Parenting teens is a tough job, but you’re not alone. These posts might help:
Five Critical Tips to Defuse an Emotional Teen
25 Fun Thanksgiving Traditions for Teens They Will Actually Want to Do
This Is Why Teen Girls Are So Mean to Their Mothers
Over 100 Of The Absolutely Best Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Tween and Teen Boys
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