Let's Talk | ‘Something no-one should ever go through’: Shepparton woman speaks about suspected drink spiking

What was meant to be a quiet night suddenly turned, as Sienna began showing symptoms of having had her drink spiked.

She never imagined it would happen to her.

“It’s something no-one should ever go through,” she said.

“You’re aware it happens, but I’m pretty safe so I didn’t think I’d be at harm.”

Her night began like any other heading out with friends; she was going with a group made up mostly of males — as a young female, she felt safe.

She landed at a Shepparton establishment and had a couple of drinks over the span of several hours before heading to another venue.

Looking back, this was where her memories began to seize.

“It was very surreal, I’ll say, because I woke up and saw the club stamp on my hand and then I had messages from girls in the morning asking if I was all right and what happened,” she said.

“And then other people started reaching out that saw me, asking if I was all right.”

After speaking with friends, Sienna began to recollect a vague storyline of when things began to decline.

"Apparently I was on the dance floor, looking like I was having a good time,“ she said.

“I went to the bathroom with my friend and we didn't come out.

“She said she found me on the floor, and because this was pretty early when I was starting to pass out, I was still in and out of consciousness so she could get me up, get me out of the bathroom.”

Sienna’s state only deteriorated from there — she couldn’t control her body, she could barely stay awake — she had lost control of her motor skills, along with her speech.

Her friend, also 19, was tasked with the monumental feat of getting Sienna out of the venue by herself.

In the end, Sienna had to be carried out by a staff member.

Sienna’s symptoms had intensified within a matter of hours, and her brother and her mum were called to take her to hospital.

On arrival, her brother carried her in — she regained consciousness long enough to take in her surroundings.

“I was panicking and trying to breathe, I was calling out and trying to work out who’s got me,” she said.

“Mum said when I got into the ER, I was wailing, hands flying everywhere, convulsing sort of in my brother’s arms and the ER nurses behind the screen immediately pressed a button of some sort.

“All these doctors and nurses came out, had me on the bed and took me straight in.”

After numerous tests, Sienna was woken at 6am.

Her results were clear of social drugs or amphetamines, and while her doctor said they weren’t technically able to diagnose her as being drugged, it’s not uncommon for some drugs not to show up on tests.

“They said they didn’t think the effects were all from the influence of alcohol, and for a girl my size, I was pretty lucky to have gotten through all of that,” she said.

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation stated tests “may not always provide an accurate result” for a number of reasons, including that some drugs leaving the body at a fast rate, making them undetectable after even a few hours.

On reflection, Sienna still doesn’t know how it happened.

She followed all the rules: she bought her own drinks, watched them being poured, carried them close to her body with her hand covering the top and never put a drink down.

“It could have been a lot worse, I haven't really thought about what could have happened,” she said.

“I was more concerned about how it affected everyone else around me, because I wasn't conscious during it so it didn't really affect me mentally until after, hearing all the stories, obviously.

“But yeah, my mum really had a moment, she doesn't really like talking about it and when she does she nearly always cries. It was just rough on everyone else.”

Since the night, Sienna has been deterred from going out without certain safety measures in place — going with her brother, only drinking from pre-packaged drinks she can place her thumb over.

But overall, she tries to avoid it entirely.

"You just can't really go anywhere without that being in the back of your mind all the time,” she said.

“Please don’t think that it’s something that won’t ever happen to you, it is more common than you realise.

"If you see something that doesn't quite look right, don't just stand there and think, ‘ah, someone's just having a bad night’, go up and ask if they need help, if they’re all right.

“Let a bartender know, don't just do nothing — that's pretty much the message I wanted to get out.”

Crisis support services 24 hours, seven days:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

If you or someone you know has a story, contact Caitlyn Grant at caitlyn.grant@mmg.com.au or Megan Fisher at megan.fisher@mmg.com.au