Sorry to hear about your DS OP. This was a major worry for me last year when DS started Uni. He had been “roofied” when he was in yr13. It was a big night out after a school sports event so he was out with most of his year.
Somehow he managed to get a taxi home, we think that one of his year found him and put him in a taxi. But when he arrived home he put his hand through a pane of glass in the door and we ended up in A&E.
What was striking was his behaviour, he was paranoid that someone was following him and wouldn’t let me go outside because there was a bloke lurking outside. He was alternating between this and moaning about the bouncer who had refused entry to the club all hits mates were in. We live 10 miles from the city he’d been drinking in and totally so it was unlikely anyone had followed him. He’d tried texting friends and me but it was gobble de gook so they thought he had done it accidentally.
About half way to the A&E and 30mins after he had arrived home and slumped in the kitchen, we basically carried him out to the car, he became lucid and started texting friends, chatting to me, it was at this point I realised it wasn’t alcohol related. I’ve never seen anyone sober up so quickly. He even checked his bank account and confirmed that he only spent £20, £10 on beer and £10 on entry to the first nightclub. He’s 6’3” and by then a seasoned drinker who could drink easily drink 5/6pts and still appear sober albeit very happy. His behaviour was not typical that evening. He doesn’t like being sick so has a stop button unlike some of his friends.
The following morning he was up and about by 10 and had no ill effects. We reported it to the police who were really good. It was too late to test but they were interested in where he had been because there had been a huge cluster around that time and they had sent out a warning to local sixth forms since whoever it was was targeting young men.
DS couldn’t remember anything after his last drink at about 9pm. He arrived home at 2.30am. He was annoyed because he realised that anything could have happened and when he went into school a lot of friends commented on his behaviour and how unusual it was. He’s a party animal but in a happy drunk way.
Anyway a couple of others in his year were targeted around the same time and as a group they took more notice of out of the ordinary behaviour.
DS looked after a couple of girls at uni last year who appeared to have been spiked. And while at home will go out in the middle of the night to taxi someone home if they ring him up. They all do it, I think in the back of their minds they are all aware of the drug issue.
The problem when they start uni is that it takes a while to build up a group of friends that you can rely on to watch your back. It’s sad that they have to be so vigilant but DS found Snapchat the best way to keep an eye on friends who he felt may be vulnerable.
On a slightly different note, anyone with a teenager starting uni, make sure they are aware of the meningitis protocols. DS was inevitably ill within weeks of starting, probably covid, but his symptoms were indicative of meningitis. Normally I would have collected him and brought him home but I was with my DSis who was dying that day. It was awful, he texted me just before my DSis took her last breath to say he was feeliybetter but I was so torn at the time. DS never moans about his health so I knew he was really ill.
The main thing is for them to let flatmates know and to wedge their door open and ask flatmates to check on them. If they are at all worried to ring an ambulance. When they are new to uni it’s easy for others to not notice.
I would also check that they are fully vaccinated against all the meningitis variants.