Warrnambool woman left shaken after drink allegedly spiked

The woman, who didn't want to be named, said she went for a night out recently to a city nightspot.

"I very rarely drink but my partner and I decided to go out for a few drinks," she told The Standard.

The woman said she consumed several drinks.

"I felt fine but then all of a sudden it hit me," the woman said.

She said her partner and friends were alarmed to see a male outside the establishment approach her.

"A man was grabbing me and saying 'let's get in my car and I'll take you home'."

The woman said her partner took her home and the next day she felt extremely unwell.

"I couldn't talk and I was having panic attacks," she said.

"My family thought there was a high possibility someone put something in my drink."

The woman said she would now think twice about heading out and if she did she would ensure she never left her drink unattended.

"It was so scary," she said.

"I should be able to go out and not have to worry about covering my drink."

Warrnambool police Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Asenjo said while he didn't believe there was a high number of drink-spiking incidents in the city, it was concerning.

"We don't get a lot of formal reports but we would encourage anyone who thinks their drink is spiked to seek medical advice and contact police," Detective Senior Sergeant Asenjo said.

He said often drinks were spiked with high amounts of alcohol, not drugs.

"Historically here we've seen that drinks might not be spiked with drugs but with excess amounts of alcohol," the detective said.

"A drink may have three shots of vodka and then you're drinking three drinks in the same amount of time you would usually drink one."

Detective Senior Sergeant Asenjo warned people against accepting a drink from a person they didn't know.

However, he said it was disappointing people had to be extra vigilant due to the actions of some.

"The message is clear - never leave your drink unattended," Detective Senior Sergeant Asenjo said.

"It's extremely disappointing. People should be able to go out and enjoy themselves without being preyed upon someone committing a criminal act."

Western Region Drug and Alcohol Centre operations manager Mark Powell said it was disappointing to think people who had gone out to catch up with friends had been preyed upon by someone else.

"Not all drink-spiking is done with liquid drugs or powder, sometimes it's people adding more 'shots' to drinks and/or disguising the alcohol," Mr Powell said.

"If you think your drink has been spiked or tastes different (bitter or salty), don't drink it despite pressure someone might be putting on you to drink it.

"If you feel someone is pressuring you to drink more than you want to, that is a sign for concern anyway."

Mr Powell encouraged people to talk to a trusted friend or staff at the venue if they suspected their drink had been spiked.

"If you are experiencing symptoms of breathing problems, confusion, drowsiness or speech difficulties call for an ambulance and once safe you should notify police as soon as possible," he said.

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