Phoebe Gorman was enjoying a night out with friends in Wollongong when her mind suddenly went "blank".
"From what I've been told ... I turned to my best friend at the time, I said, 'I'm not feeling too well'," she said.
"I just got up [from the table] and started to walk away. I actually collapsed. I have no recollection."
What unfolded next was so traumatising for the then-19-year-old, she didn't enter another nightclub for nearly two years.
"I was just slumped over — dead is how my friend explained it. My body was just lifeless."
A friend took her to hospital and urged nurses to investigate, insisting something wasn't right.
"I had been spiked. I had ketamine in my system and quite a high amount."
Data shows drink spiking in NSW is at its highest level in five years.
NSW Police recorded 186 drink or food spiking incidents from July 2021 to June 2022, according to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR).
More than 95 per cent were recorded from October 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions were eased for fully vaccinated people.
The Sydney local government area (LGA) recorded 40 spiking incidents — the highest number in the state, followed by the Newcastle LGA which recorded 16.
The Wollongong LGA recorded 12 and Woollahra LGA in Sydney's eastern suburbs recorded nine.
The 186 spiking incidents reported in the year to June 2022 is a 55 per cent increase in the same period before the pandemic.
In the year to June 2019, 115 spiking incidents were reported
Some experts say reported figures are likely just the tip of the iceberg.
"Many people don't report drink spiking to either police or medical professions," Drug and Alcohol Foundation CEO Erin Lalor said.
"They do that partly because they don't think people believe them or they're ashamed about what's happening."
Drink spiking is when mainly alcohol or drugs are put in someone's drink without their knowledge or consent.
Young women and LGBTQIA+ people are mainly targeted, according to Full Stop Australia, a counselling organisation formerly known as Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia.
But older women are frequently spiked too.
"We've seen a really worrying increase in drink spiking activity and we really see the pointy end of that, with people calling up after they have indeed been sexually assaulted as a result," Full Stop Australia CEO Hayley Foster said.
The most recent national report into drink spiking, released almost 20 years ago, estimates about one third of all incidents are linked to sexual assault.
"It's really devastating when we speak to people who have had this happen to them. It can absolutely destroy lives and livelihoods," she said.
"One minute, you're out having a wonderful time, the next minute you wake up somewhere, and having no idea how you got there, but being violated.
"We have a really terrible problem at the moment in this country with drink spiking."
Research hard to find
It's been 18 years since the first and last national report into drink spiking was released.
The Australian Institute of Criminology has told the ABC there's been no further specific research into drink spiking since.
The investigation was prompted by a rise in drink spiking reporting, described by the NSW Health Department at the time as a "spiking epidemic".
The report roughly estimated there were up to 4,000 incidents across the country between July 2002 to June 2003.
But it concluded there is no way to determine the exact number, due to a high-level of under-reporting.
The ABC understands no such research has been funded by the NSW government since.
Greens MP Abigail Boyd questioned the NSW Deputy Premier and Police Minister Paul Toole about an "increase" in drink spiking during a budget estimates hearing in August.
Mr Toole said he was "concerned" but did not clearly confirm whether it was an issue he had discussed with police or venues.
"I was aware of some spiking of drinks, yes, in a particular area," he told the hearing.
In a statement to the ABC, Mr Toole said "the NSW government takes any allegations of drink spiking incredibly seriously".
"The NSW government ... is always open to new tools that could benefit victims and police investigating potential cases."
In July, the Victorian government allocated $265,000 to fund new research after reports of an increase in the practice.
Experts argue action on the issue should not be delayed over a lack of fresh research in NSW.
"We need to take this seriously. It is on the increase, and we need urgent measures now to make sure we stamp it out," Ms Foster said.
"We really need to put more onus and more responsibility on licensed venues ... to make sure that these spaces are safe."
Community concern has been growing in Wollongong, which is home to a small number of venues, but a large student population.
"What we're hearing from our students is it's [drink spiking] more common than the reports would suggest," University of Wollongong Director of Safe and Respectful Communities Nancy Huggett said.
The University of Wollongong has taken matters into its own hands, encouraging venues to participate in a free training program.
"[It teaches] venue owners ... when they see someone that appears to be very intoxicated, not just to throw them out of the venue but to make sure that they've got somebody with them — a trusted friend," Dr Huggett said.
Liquor and Gaming NSW last month launched a campaign which involved releasing fact sheets to improve patron safety in venues.
But Ms Gorman, now 22, believes more should be done.
"People who are being spiked are just being considered as being too drunk and then thrown out to the kerb," she said.
"Where's that accountability from the venues to keep their patrons safe ... like that venue did for me that night.
"They reacted instantly, and I consider myself lucky for that."
A spokeswoman for NSW Police told the ABC "all reports of drink spiking are investigated".
