Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Bartender Lists The Warning Signs You've Been Drugged After Having Her Drink Spiked At A Bar

Bartender Lists The Warning Signs You've Been Drugged After Having Her Drink Spiked At A Bar
@abughazalehkat/Twitter; Constantinis/Getty Images

*The following article contains discussion of sexual assault.

Going out for drinks can be a fun night out, but it can also be dangerous. As a part-time bartender on Twitter pointed out, it’s really easy for someone to mess with your drink.


Katherine Abughazaleh—a Media Matters correspondent—shared what she experienced when someone spiked her drink. She’s doing okay now, but is concerned with how easily it happened.

She shared her experience in the hope it can help others.

While she’s fine now, Abughazaleh didn’t share her story right away.

Part of it was out of a fear it would look like she was trying to get sympathy. Part of it was she needed time to piece together what exactly happened.

From there, she went into symptoms she experienced.

There’s a lot you can do to try and protect your drink, but it’s almost impossible to be completely safe.

Drinking in public settings has its own set of risks, but keeping your wits about you after the fact is important too.

Even though Abughazaleh is a bartender herself, she still fell victim to this. All she had was a single drink after shift.

But luckily someone was able to walk her home.

The information provided was discussed widely on Twitter.

People trying to drug someone’s drink is not uncommon.

But if you’re lucky, someone else will recognize what’s going on and step in to help.

Abughazaleh had that, which she says is the reason she’s okay today. But a lot of people need to be aware of the signs and know what to do after it happens.

Which some commenters were quick to provide.

According to “Just Think Twice,” a government run website with information about drugs and alcohol, there are some steps you can take after being drugged.

Get a friend to stay with you and file a police report with everything you remember.

Go to the hospital and ask for an exam and evidence collection so they can test for specific drugs and signs of assault.

And know there’s always help out there.

***

If you or someone you know experienced sexual assault, help is out there. You can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 1-800-656-4673, use their Live Chat tool: https://www.rainn.org/get-help, or visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.

In Canada, help is available through the Ending Violence Association of Canada website.

International resources can be found through the Rape Crisis Network Europe website.

More from Trending

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less