Spiking
What is spiking?
Spiking is when someone puts alcohol or drugs into another person’s drink without their knowledge and/or consent.
Most substances that are used to spike drinks are odourless, colourless and tasteless making them very hard to spot. Excessive bubbles, sinking ice, a foggy appearance and a change in your drink’s colour and/or taste (more bitter or salty) are all potential warning signs but not foolproof in detecting spiking.
Adding extra alcohol to an alcoholic drink or putting alcohol into a non-alcoholic drink are also forms of spiking.
Other forms of spiking:
Spiking can also occur via
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needles - injecting drugs into someone else's body without their knowledge or consent
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vapes or cigarettes – lacing cigarettes or e-cigarettes with drugs
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food – adding drugs to someone’s food without their knowledge or consent
The effects spiking will depend on the substance consumed but some common signs to look out for include:
- Rapid intoxication
- Lower inhibitions
- Loss of balance
- Difficulty concentrating or talking
- Dizziness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Memory loss or blackouts
- Confusion, paranoia and/or hallucinations
Keep an eye on friends and those you are out with. The best precaution you can take to protect yourself from spiking is to never leave your drink unattended and don’t accept drinks from strangers.
Some venues hand out free drink toppers to deter drink spiking or you can buy your own.
If you think you have been spiked, immediately tell someone you know or someone in a position of trust like a member of staff or security in a bar or pub. If you need urgent help, call 999.
Being spiked can be a very frightening experience and can cause severe distress, anxiety and emotional harm.
If you have been a victim of spiking and need support, contact Victims First on 0300 1234 148 or use our online form found at Get Support Now.
Spiking is a serious crime that causes victims genuine fear and distress. Spiking myths often minimise the danger to, and the impact on, victims.
Myth: Spiking is only illegal if it leads to another crime.
Fact: Spiking is a specific criminal offence regardless of whether another crime (like theft or assault) takes place.
Myth: Putting alcohol in my mates’ drink isn’t spiking.
Fact: Putting alcohol into a non-alcoholic drink or adding extra alcohol to an alcoholic drink is spiking.
Myth: Only women and girls get spiked.
Fact: Anyone can be a victim of spiking regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Myth: Spiking is only perpetrated by strangers.
Fact: There is a common perception that spiking is most often done by a stranger in a bar or by someone you meet on a night out, but incidents can be committed by people known to the victim - family, friends, work colleagues or acquaintances.
Myth: I’ll be able to tell if my drink has been spiked.
Fact: Most substances that are used to spike drinks are odourless, colourless and tasteless making them very hard to spot.
Myth: Spiking always involves so-called “date-rape” drugs.
Fact: A wide range of substances can be used to spike someone including cocaine, ketamine, prescription drugs and extra, unconsented alcohol.
Myth: They just had too much to drink.
Fact: Victims of spiking often experience rapid intoxication, severe disorientation, difficulty communicating, blackouts or amnesia. Dismissing symptoms as drunkenness can minimise the experience of the victim and result in medical emergencies being ignored or mismanaged.
Myth: You can’t report spiking because you might have illegal drugs in your system.
Fact: It is not an offence to have illegal drugs in your system, unless you’re driving, so you should look to report any incident of spiking. Even if you have voluntarily taken other illegal drugs around the time of the spiking incident, you can still report the spiking incident to the police. Police actions focus on the offender, not the victim. They will want to safeguard you and maximise the chance of capturing critical evidence. You will not be searched, judged, or arrested for voluntary drug use when reporting a spiking incident.