Spiked drinks
'Sure I'll have another – since I'm not paying!'
- What are the physical symptoms?
- What can I do about it?
- Spiking safety tips
- Alcohol
- 'It's OK for guys'
The trend of spiking drinks has become a growing problem in
Drink spiking can happen to girls and guys – it may be used for sexual assault, robbery or as a practical joke or party trick.
What are the physical symptoms?
The main sign that you've had a spiked drink is that you feel noticeably drunk more quickly that you would expect. You may also experience:
- dizziness, feeling light-headed, queasiness
- drowsiness, loss of consciousness, confusion
- wild behaviour, lack of self- control
- problems with coordination.
Many victims of drink spiking describe having blackouts and can't remember what happened to them the next day.
What can I do about it?
Drink spiking doesn't mean you should lock yourself up at home and never go out. Girls have the right to party and enjoy themselves just as much as guys. It just means that when you do go out, be aware of things going on around you.
Spiking safety tips
- Only accept drinks from people you know and trust.
- Be suspicious if someone buys you a drink and it's not what you asked for
- Keep your drink with you, and finish it before you go to the bathroom or onto the dance floor
- If someone you don't know offers to buy you a drink, go to the bar with them
- Never share or exchange drinks with anyone
- Look out for your mates – if they seem too drunk or too out of it for what they've had, they may be in danger
- If you decide to go home with someone, introduce them to your friends (or the bar staff or security) and make sure they know others have seen them
- Help friends get home safely after a night out, or check they're OK before they leave with anyone
- Always let people you have just met think you have a flatmate or live with other people
- Don't be too quick to trust somebody you don't know – be careful about taking strangers at face value
- If you feel dizzy or light-headed but haven't had much to drink, try to get to safe place with safe people (people you know and trust).
Alcohol
Most of the publicity about spiking is about adding chemicals to drinks so that the drinker can be 'knocked out'. This does happen, and it can have very serious consequences, but it is actually quite rare.
A much more common 'trick' by far is to add extra alcohol to a drink (e.g. by ordering a double scotch instead of a single) or to give someone a lot of drinks so they lose track of what they've drunk. The use of alcohol and drugs is a major issue in date rape. A 1996 survey found that alcohol had been involved in 44.9 percent of sexual assaults for women 15 years and over.
Alcohol is often used to loosen women up. It can lower your self-control and make you behave in ways you wouldn't normally. You may be less able to refuse someone who's making a move on you or pressuring you to do something you don't want to do.
'It's OK for guys'
In our society there are double standards around alcohol and drug use for girls and guys.
If she drinks …
- she's sexually 'easy'
- she's sending out confusing messages to guys
- she may be blamed if she's later raped.
If he drinks …
- he's 'a man'
- is allowed to behave badly – 'boys will be boys'
- he 'didn't know what he was doing' if he assaults a woman.
The fact is nobody ever asks to be raped, regardless of whether they were drinking or not. Just because girls are out enjoying themselves doesn't mean they're sexually available. The responsibility for any sexual assault is always with the attacker.
Remember, sexual assault is a crime.
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