Unfortunately it’s happened to me twice.

The first time I was young and stupid about verifying what I was drinking. My friend offered me a bottle of champagne at New Years and I took a swig. Then she told me some guy had given it to her and told her to pass it around.

I thankfully had the presence of mind to get out of there, I convinced my friend and another girl who had drank from it to leave and go get food with me. In the uber, my friend passed out and the other girl got unintelligible. I became woozy, felt the edges of my vision going out, and felt like my mind was working very slowly. I hadn’t had anything except water and one sip from that champagne.

The next morning I tried to talk to anyone who knew anyone at the party or venue, but it was a big club letting underage girls in so they didn’t give a fuck and I was scared of getting in trouble (I was 19).

Three years later, I was out at a bar with my friends. I was much safer about drinks, very aware about who was around me and all that. My friend had a malfunction with their dress and we set our cups down on the table while I helped them. It couldn’t have been longer than a few seconds and neither of us saw anyone slip something in, but it was crowded and hectic.

About ten minutes later I felt that familiar tunnel vision and got very tired. It was difficult to keep my eyes open and I was getting confused. I grabbed my friends and told them I thought I was drugged and we needed to go.

Outside I started slurring my speech and getting very lost trying to speak- thankfully my friends called an uber for us and we all went home. I didn’t remember getting into my bed and when I woke up I had a whole notes page of semi-gibberish ramblings as I tried to record what was happening in my mind for posterity.

The worst part about the second time was that I believe my friend was the one who was targeted. They’re a non-binary person and were in drag that night, at a popular gay club. Knowing what I know about LGBTQ assault rates I’m almost certain it was meant for them, we were drinking the same thing. If they had gone into the men’s bathroom it would have been easy to corner them and assault them.

So, warning signs for me were: general feeling of fuzziness, edges of my vision crowding in, confusion, numbness, inability to speak easily, drowsiness, and panic. It did not feel like being drunk at all.

If you or a friend notices any of this, or even just feel uncomfortable, leave. Go somewhere safe, get some food and wait it out. You can always go to another bar, but you don’t want to be a target when it kicks in. Also, tell your friends! The more eyes on you and the crowd around you, the better.