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What to do if a friend is spiked
What to do if your friend is spiked or injected.
No one ever thinks it’s going to happen, but there have been increases in incidents – people consuming beverages that, without their knowledge, are drugged or have alcohol added to them. Or possibly injected with a foreign agent. This tactic is used for various reasons, including seemingly innocent pranks and more serious attempts at rape or robbery.
If a friend believes that they, or another friend, have been spiked, the following are steps that can be taken to prevent further harm:
- Recognise the symptoms.
- Get to a safe place.
- Get help.
- First Aid.
- Have trusted company.
Recognising the signs and symptoms that someone may have been drugged.
When in a situation where spiking is suspected, it is important to know what signs and symptoms to watch for. This lists the following potential signs and symptoms:
- Feeling dizzy, faint, or sleepy
- Difficulty walking
- Visual problems
- Paranoia
- Nausea or vomiting
- Being more drunk or intoxicated than expected based on alcohol consumed
- Passing out or experiencing blackouts
All of these may be signs or symptoms that an individual has been spiked. If it is suspected, the following steps can help keep the individual safe from further harm.
Get to a safe place.
Firstly make sure you and the individual are safe. If the individual is still in the situation where they were spiked, it is important to get that individual away from the situation and the people there. This can be vital to making sure you or the individual are not at further risk from the person who spiked them. This could prevent a rape or robbery. Do not shout and scream or blame anyone, this is likely to make the situation worse. If you suspect a person then make a mental note of their description.
If it is later or the next day, make sure they are in a place where potential problems related to the drug that was used will not have other dangerous consequences. For example, make sure the person does not try to drive a car or do something else that can pose a risk if there are lingering effects from the drug.
Get help.
When the individual is safe, it is important to seek out others who can provide active support, such as trusted friends, parents, or the management of the establishment in which the problem occurred. Nearby police officers, security, or even emergency services.
First Aid for people that may have been drugged
This is treated as poisoning
- Calm and reassure the individual
- Keep them warm and comfortable in a safe stable location
- DO NOT INDUCE Vomiting
- Monitor the individuals. Ensure they are breathing steadily and are responsive to you.
- Check for further injuries.
- Evacuate them to A&E or call 111.
- If the individual continues to deteriorate, loses consciousness, continues to breathing irregularly, or even stops breathing call 999.
In the event they stop breathing follow the correct procedures as your first aid training or the instructions from the emergency services operator.
In the event of fitting remove objects away from them, do not restrain them, protect their head if possible.
Have trusted company at all times.
While the person is detoxing from the substance it can be important for someone who is trusted to be with that individual at all times, not only to observe any potential changes in condition, but also to provide comfort and support in dealing with the aftermath of the event. Both the drug and the realisation of what happened can have a profound emotional or mental effect on the individual who has been the victim of a spiked drink.
People who can advocate and support the individual can be vital in getting professional help and initiating an investigation of the attack, if possible.
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A quick story time from the weekend about why having a trained first aider in a group is a great idea. This weekend one of our instructors was out in the Suffolk countryside with a mixed group of friends and strangers. As they began their walk, they hadn’t made it more than a couple of paces when one of the older gentlemen in the group went sheet white, became weak, collapsed on the ground and started vomiting. The gentleman's son was with him, caught him as he fell and called out for help. Thankfully, our instructor was within shouting distance and was the only trained first aider in the group, in fact he is a community first responder, so he had with him in his truck an oxygen tank, defibrillator and every piece of kit a first responder would need. He quickly got the gentlemen assessed taking his heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and asked him about any past medical conditions that may be relevant. He did an assessment, used his training to ascertain whether an ambulance was needed or whether the kit he had with him was sufficient. Thankfully, an ambulance wasn’t needed but the gentleman was taken home and is feeling much better. It made us think, here in the office, that while this situation did not need an ambulance if the first aider had not been there, it would have been a scary situation for everyone because no one there really knew what to do for the best. The moral of the story is that the benefit of completing first aid training is that you never know when your skills as a trained first aider may be able to help a friend or a stranger. It is also important that anyone who has been trained in any level of first aid should carry some essential kit with them. Some useful things in a basic first aid kit would be: A couple of pairs of gloves Sterile wipes Medical tape Scissors Tweezers Gauze Resuscitation face shield Plasters Sterile bandage Triangular bandage Eye wash Emergency foil blanket Whistle (especially if you are going for walks in remote areas) Who is the best first aid training company in Suffolk? Well, this is an easy answer and here are some reasons why. Our MD is an award winning first aid instructor who has real life experience in emergency situations. We teach our Outdoor First Aid course outdoors under a parachute in the middle of Sutton Hoo Woodland. We teach all levels of first aid from basic first aid training up to the more advanced First Responder on Scene level. At the end of our higher level first aid courses in Suffolk, we use a local charity, Casualties Union, who provide actors to re-create scenarios for our learners to put into practice all their first aid training. Our instructors talk through kit requirements on all our first aid courses whether we are training you in Suffolk or at your premises, ensuring the kit is relevant to your needs. Our first aid courses are not boring! Many people dread doing a first aid course because they have a stigma of being boring and just listening to a PowerPoint presentation for six hours stuck in a classroom, being taught by someone who doesn’t actively have any real-life experience. That's not us, we get you involved, get you interacting with the equipment, pass on knowledge from real life emergencies and make it enjoyable. We offer first aid kits of varying sizes and for different requirements. Our most popular choice is a DAC mini Ouch Pouch which is the perfect pocket sized first aid kit. Is it time for you to book a first aid training course in Suffolk? Any time is a great time to complete a first aid course, and we would love to train you. Gatherings are more common at this time of year with Christmas shopping in full swing the high streets are busier, markets are full and places where crowds gather can become a hot spot for accidents, injuries or exacerbation of underlying medical conditions. We run first aid training throughout the year with open courses that anyone can join. Many of our first aid training courses are in Suffolk but we do travel nationwide as well. We would like to encourage all those who have taken a first aid course with DAC Education, or indeed, with any first aid training company in Suffolk or beyond, please do ensure that when you are out and about your skills and knowledge are not wasted and please carry with you even just a basic first aid kit. It's better to carry one and not need it, than to need it and not have one.
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See some of our blogs below about Mental health, First aid and much more
A quick story time from the weekend about why having a trained first aider in a group is a great idea. This weekend one of our instructors was out in the Suffolk countryside with a mixed group of friends and strangers. As they began their walk, they hadn’t made it more than a couple of paces when one of the older gentlemen in the group went sheet white, became weak, collapsed on the ground and started vomiting. The gentleman's son was with him, caught him as he fell and called out for help. Thankfully, our instructor was within shouting distance and was the only trained first aider in the group, in fact he is a community first responder, so he had with him in his truck an oxygen tank, defibrillator and every piece of kit a first responder would need. He quickly got the gentlemen assessed taking his heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and asked him about any past medical conditions that may be relevant. He did an assessment, used his training to ascertain whether an ambulance was needed or whether the kit he had with him was sufficient. Thankfully, an ambulance wasn’t needed but the gentleman was taken home and is feeling much better. It made us think, here in the office, that while this situation did not need an ambulance if the first aider had not been there, it would have been a scary situation for everyone because no one there really knew what to do for the best. The moral of the story is that the benefit of completing first aid training is that you never know when your skills as a trained first aider may be able to help a friend or a stranger. It is also important that anyone who has been trained in any level of first aid should carry some essential kit with them. Some useful things in a basic first aid kit would be: A couple of pairs of gloves Sterile wipes Medical tape Scissors Tweezers Gauze Resuscitation face shield Plasters Sterile bandage Triangular bandage Eye wash Emergency foil blanket Whistle (especially if you are going for walks in remote areas) Who is the best first aid training company in Suffolk? Well, this is an easy answer and here are some reasons why. Our MD is an award winning first aid instructor who has real life experience in emergency situations. We teach our Outdoor First Aid course outdoors under a parachute in the middle of Sutton Hoo Woodland. We teach all levels of first aid from basic first aid training up to the more advanced First Responder on Scene level. At the end of our higher level first aid courses in Suffolk, we use a local charity, Casualties Union, who provide actors to re-create scenarios for our learners to put into practice all their first aid training. Our instructors talk through kit requirements on all our first aid courses whether we are training you in Suffolk or at your premises, ensuring the kit is relevant to your needs. Our first aid courses are not boring! Many people dread doing a first aid course because they have a stigma of being boring and just listening to a PowerPoint presentation for six hours stuck in a classroom, being taught by someone who doesn’t actively have any real-life experience. That's not us, we get you involved, get you interacting with the equipment, pass on knowledge from real life emergencies and make it enjoyable. We offer first aid kits of varying sizes and for different requirements. Our most popular choice is a DAC mini Ouch Pouch which is the perfect pocket sized first aid kit. Is it time for you to book a first aid training course in Suffolk? Any time is a great time to complete a first aid course, and we would love to train you. Gatherings are more common at this time of year with Christmas shopping in full swing the high streets are busier, markets are full and places where crowds gather can become a hot spot for accidents, injuries or exacerbation of underlying medical conditions. We run first aid training throughout the year with open courses that anyone can join. Many of our first aid training courses are in Suffolk but we do travel nationwide as well. We would like to encourage all those who have taken a first aid course with DAC Education, or indeed, with any first aid training company in Suffolk or beyond, please do ensure that when you are out and about your skills and knowledge are not wasted and please carry with you even just a basic first aid kit. It's better to carry one and not need it, than to need it and not have one.
A quick overview of what an Appointed person does
Dave Coyle our MD is Instructor of the year 2024
Martyn's law training
A 3 minute micro learn to gain knowledge about what is and how to deal with fainting. #fainting #firstaidtraining #getmeinvolved
The quickest way to assess if something is really wrong
Luanch of a new course - update Course is going well!
Would you want to be miles from nowhere with without a first aid kit to help a struggling person?
Does your company have the correct level of First Aid and H&S training required by the commissioner of a contract?
Trains you help while you wait for the emergency services or even realise you may not need them. Our Family First Aid is a one day Weekend First Aid course run on a saturdays.
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Paediatric First Aid First Aid for children and infants A Paediatric First Aid course is ideal for parents, grandparents, caregivers, childminders, schools and businesses involved in childcare. As parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles or professional childminders the thought of an accident or incident occurring while looking after your own or someone else's child can be a scary thought, especially for those who may be in rural areas where the emergency services may not be as easily accessible. Paediatric first aid comes with its own challenges and a fundamental part of being human is the wish to preserve life, especially a young life. It is hard wired into us to want to do something to help. It doesn’t have to be a grand heroic act, it can be something as simple as staying calm and being the one who is able to relay the details of the situation to the emergency services. We have spoken previously about using the what3words app to enable the emergency services to get to your precise location. Even downloading this app and having instant access to those important 3 words can be a life saving act. This is especially true if you are out with children in parks or day trips away from your usual residence or nursery setting. Paediatric first aid courses are a great way to boost your confidence and knowledge. All first aid courses are full of information, techniques and skills. Physical techniques like the recovery position or how to deal with a choking incident, all the way up to mental skills. An excellent quality of a first aider is to know the importance of staying calm, how to react to bystanders who may want to help but can be a hindrance and to be able to apply any knowledge that you have previously learnt. It is not only the practical first aid skills that are important but it's knowing how to safely handle the situation and acting swiftly. A good paediatric first aid course should cover areas such as; Assessing an emergency situation Provide First AId knowledge to an infant or child eho is unresponsive and either breathing or not breathing normally. External bleeding Foreign body obstruction in the airway Burns, scalds, bites and stings Anaphylaxis Injuries to bones, joints and muscles also head or spinal injuries Those suffering from a chronic medical condition or sudden illness There are many other topics covered but perhaps the most important is the paediatric first aid course you choose should meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Life saving skills are often thought to only be necessary for trained professionals like doctors, nurses and emergency services but these professionals can often do more if there has been a quick assessment and reaction by a first aider on scene. We all have the ability to perform life saving acts.
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DAC Education LTD, Company number 12639015
Registered office and training centre: Unit One, Main Road, Stratford St Andrew, Suffolk, IP17 1LF