For anyone traveling or studying abroad who potentially hasn't encountered the threat before, being aware that needle-spiking is a very real possibility is the most important thing, according to Mackie.
He added that tourists have been targets of spiking because they're often carrying passports, cash or other valuables. And the holiday season poses a high risk, he said, as people attend frequent parties and travel increases.
But it's not about living in fear, Mackie said. Know the symptoms of spiking: dizziness, confusion or loss of consciousness and unusual behavior such as lack of self-control.
Travel safety tips
► Make a plan: It's important to make a plan of action before a night out in case an attack happens, including never putting your drink down (make sure you can see your drinks being poured and transported to you), using the buddy system (especially in unfamiliar venues), saving international emergency numbers, and looking up local hospitals just in case.
Your odds of success are better if you play and work in places where the forces of growth are with you, rather than against you.
Here's an interesting quote:"Rumination (the repetitive thought focused on negative aspects of the self) is a known risk factor for mental illness. This study shows that participants in a 90-minute walk in the wilderness reported lower levels of rumination and showed reduced neural activity in an area of the brain linked to risk for mental illness compared with those who walked through an urban environment."Guess we should do more nature walks! Sounds good to me!
