You will have heard the horror stories about spiking incidents while at festivals on a night out but unfortunately more and more people are becoming victims of this horrible form of abuse. Around 2% (1.8%) of UK adults, equivalent to nearly one million people, believe they’ve been a victim of drinking spiking in the last year, rising slightly to 3% among younger adults aged 18 to 34, according to new data by Drinkaware and Anglia Ruskin University. Make sure you know what to look out for and how to keep yourself safe.
So What is Spiking?
‘Spiking’ is when someone puts alcohol or drugs into another person’s drink or their body without their knowledge or consent.
Different types of spiking can include the following substances being added to drinks:
- Alcohol
- ‘Date rape’ drugs
- Illegal drugs
- Prescription drugs (e.g. stimulants, tranquillisers, sedatives, opiates)
Drink spiking can happen to any type of drink, whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic.
There are various reasons why someone might decide to ‘spike’ another person. It might be intended as a ‘joke’, or to make it easier for them to commit a violent crime or assault their victim. Motives may include:
- Rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse
- Non-sexual assault
- Robbery
- Prescription drugs (e.g. stimulants, tranquillisers, sedatives, opiates)
Spiking is a Crime
It is never the victim’s fault!
Spiking someone in order to commit a violent or sexual offence against them is a serious crime – no matter whether any sexual offence took place. It carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison in England and Wales.
If the aggressor also committed a sexual offence against the victim they spiked, they will face additional charges.
How to Know if you Have Been Spiked
The effects of drink spiking vary depending on the substance. However, symptoms could include:
- Lowered inhibitions
- Loss of balance
- Feeling sleepy
- Visual problems
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Unconsciousness
The symptoms will depend on lots of factors such as the substance or mix of substances used including the dose, your size and weight, and how much alcohol you might have already consumed.
Better to be Safe than Sorry
- Always buy your own drink and watch as the person pours it.
- Don’t accept drinks from strangers.
- Never leave your drink unattended while you dance or go to the toilet.
- Don’t drink or taste anyone else’s drink.
- Throw your drink away if you think it tastes strange or different.
What you should do if you suspect someone has been spiked?
- Tell a bar manager, bouncer, or member of staff.
- Calm and reassure the individual.
- Keep them warm and comfortable in a safe stable location.
- DO NOT induce vomiting.
- Monitor the individual and ensure they are breathing steadily and are responsive to you.
- Check for further injuries.
- Take them to A&E or call 111.
- If the individual continues to deteriorate, loses consciousness, continues breathing irregularly, or even stops breathing call 999 immediately.
- If someone is unconscious but breathing, and has no other injuries place them in the recovery position until help arrives.
- If someone stops breathing start to administer CPR.
What can Venues Do:
Some venues responded by introducing measures such as protective drinks covers, increased entry searches, and ‘women only’ evenings.
Some festival organisers have also set up tents where you can go to test your drinks for dangerous substances.
In response to the rise in spiking, Nottingham Trent University by increasing security for events at its students’ union. They also introduced Safe Places between 9pm and 9am across their campuses. Furthermore they provided bystander intervention training to staff in university venues and night-time venues across the city to prevent sexual violence.
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