CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses sexual assault and drugs.
Life Uncut co-host and former The Bachelor star Brittany Hockley has opened up about how common it can be to have your drink spiked in Australia. She approached the serious subject on KISS FM’s The Pick Up with co-host Laura Byrne, revealing she has been the victim of drink spiking three times.
She started off by telling listeners about the Australian Federal Police’s warning that a “tidal wave of illegal ‘fantasy’ [drugs]” has been making its way to our shores. This particular drug, 1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BD) is a source of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), which acts as a nervous system depressant.
“The AFP have just come out and issued a warning about an increase in drugs hitting our shores in Australia,” Brittany revealed. “They are colloquially known as ‘fantasy’ but otherwise known as a date rape drug.
“The reason I wanted to talk about this is because it personally has happened to me three times. It is not just a stranger in the bar that you have to be aware of when you’re out. It is not just making sure that your hand is over your drink. It is being hyper-aware of the increase that this is happening and also what to look out for.”
Brittany Hockley shares what to do if your drink has been spiked
The radio host claimed a barman had spiked her drink during one of these occasions, saying you can never completely prevent it from happening. However, she said it could be beneficial to share some of the side effects so people know to get help if it happens to them.
“You feel very, very drunk very quickly. But it’s not a normal drunk. When I was turning my head to look [the other way], everything [in my line of sight] was taking too long to catch up and it started to get blurry,” she recalled.
“You don’t have a lot of time to think of other signs and symptoms because it just starts to happen. You start to feel really unwell and really, really intoxicated. It is really scary. It goes from zero to 100 in sometimes, potentially minutes.”
Brittany urged anybody experiencing side effects to tell somebody “immediately”, and “get help”.
“The second you don’t feel right, you go to someone behind the bar or to a trusted friend and just tell them,” she said.
Laura drew on her own experiences, saying three out of the four women working on The Pick Up have had their drinks spiked.
“It doesn’t just happen when you’re at a nightclub or you’re out with strangers,” she warned. “My experience was with someone who I thought was a friend.”
It’s great to see these two use their massive platform to raise awareness for a troubling situation. Stay safe out there, folks!
Help is available.
If you’re in distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online. If it’s an emergency, please call 000.
Under 25? You can reach the Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
Lead image: Instagram @brittany_hockley
The post Brittany Hockley Reveals She’s Had Her Drink Spiked 3 Times As ‘Tidal Wave’ Of Drugs Hit Aus appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
