S for Spiking
Spiking is when someone puts something into another person’s drink or body without their knowledge or consent. It is a choice that someone has made and is as bad as carrying a knife.
There are several reasons why someone might decide to spike someone. The spiking might be committed by a stranger or someone known to the victim, such as a date, friend, partner, colleague or family member. It can make someone ill and very vulnerable and make it easier to commit a crime against them, like a robbery or a rape. Sometimes people spike others as a joke or a dare.
Whatever the reason, spiking is never funny. If a person puts something into someone’s drink or tries to inject them, they can face up to 10 years in prison.
It doesn’t matter what the victim or survivor was wearing, where they were, how much they had to drink or if they had taken drugs, nobody deserves to be spiked. The blame and responsibility always sits with the perpetrator.
What happens when someone is spiked?
The effect on the victim or survivor will depend on things like what they were spiked with, how much, their height and weight and whether they had already consumed drugs or alcohol.
Symptoms of spiking include:
- Being weak, out of control or passing out
- Feeling or being sick
- Feeling strange or ‘more drunk’ than expected
- Feeling sleepy
- Being confused or disorientated
- Blurred vision or being unable to see properly
- A loss of balance or coordination
- Having trouble communicating
- Having hallucinations
- Acting strangely or out of character
A person might have some or all of these symptoms, depending on what they were spiked with.
How can you help someone who has been spiked?
If you think someone has been spiked it can be difficult to know what to do. They might be refusing help or might not want to listen to you or cooperate.
As you won’t know what they have been spiked with or how much and the best thing to do is to call 999 and speak to the emergency services.
Other things you can do to help include:
- Speaking to the venue that you are in. They might have a safe space where the person can recover and wait for help
- Try not to let them drink alcohol or take drugs
- Try not to let them go with someone you don’t know or trust
If you have been spiked you are never to blame.
In Nottingham/shire support is available from these places:
- The Topaz Centre – Nottingham’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (where a recent sexual assault is thought to have occurred)
- Notts SVS Services (where a sexual assault is thought to have occurred and a person would like support with this)
- Nottinghamshire Victim Care (where spiking has happened but no sexual assault followed)
