Actress Tara Reid claims her drink at a bar was drugged. The police say otherwise but regardless, it brings up an interesting point: there are evil people out there who indeed put things in women’s drinks to make them incapacitated.
So what can you do about it and how can you avoid it in the first place? Here are five tips from a bar veteran to avoid being roofied.
1.) Never Leave Your Drink Unattended
The most obvious way is not to go outside and have a smoke with a stranger while leaving your drink unattended. That last part is the key. Women should never, ever leave their drink unattended. For that matter, neither should men because men can be drugged, too, for whatever reason. I do not have the mind of a criminal so the reasons are not always clear to me so I just try and avoid it in the first place.
And never, ever, turn your back to your drink.
2.) Take Your Drink With You To The Bathroom Or When You Leave Your Bar Seat
If you have to leave your seat at the bar or a table, take your drink with you. This is common practice among men; mainly because we don’t want the bartender to take it thinking we are finished with it. We take our drinks to the bathroom and hope the owner was forward-thinking enough to provide a place to put it when we do our business.
The latter is not as easy for women – and do NOT leave it on the sink – but it’s a good safeguard against being roofied.
Now sometimes this is not an option, such as getting up to dance. In that case, proceed to tip #3.
3.) Ask Someone To Watch Your Drink For You
Women usually don’t go out alone, so it’s easy to ask a friend to watch your drink. If you are alone and have been talking with a group of people, ask them to watch it for you, but only if you feel you can trust them.
If a place is not too busy, ask the bartender, tho keep in mind he or she is not responsible if something does happen to your drink. In Reid’s case, the bartender put a napkin her glass of wine; this is pretty common. On the rare occasions that I leave my drink unattended (I’m usually with a friend or in a bar where I know people as I would never do this among strangers), I put my PubClub business card on the rim of the drink. A bar coaster also works. This does two things: it establishes the fact that the person just stepped away and will return and it provides some type of deterrent to someone wanting to tamper with a drink, as it adds one step in the process and is a bit obvious to others in the area.
4.) Be Aware Of The People Sitting Around You
Does someone look or act suspicious? Are they a little bit weird or make you feel uncomfortable? Are they looking down at your drink a lot? It’s important to always be aware of your surroundings and the people around you. Be aware if you are being distracted and someone leans over or around you. If you have an uneasy feeling about someone or the situation, either relocate to somewhere else in the bar or go to a different bar.
5.) Ask The Bartender For A Drink Lid Or Test Kit
It is now law in California that all bars and nightclubs must provide drink lids and test kits upon request. For other places, ask the bartender if there is a secure lid or some other iteam such as a coaster that you can put on your drink. If you think your drink has been tampered with – say it looks a different color or the liquid is moving as if something happened to it, or maybe the ice cubes in the cocktail have suddenly melted – report it immediately to the bartender and ask for a new drink.
Conclusion
These tips can help you prevent a terrible incident with having your drink drugged and will also put you at ease and be confident when you go to a bar so you can have a great time.
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