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[TW - sexual assault]: What you need to know about drink spiking - tips from The Mix
Gemma
Community Manager Posts: 605 Incredible Poster
❗️TW: Sexual assault❗️
With New Year coming up, many of us will be going out to parties or into town. Knowing how it might feel if we’ve been spiked and what we should do if it happens is a really good way for us to be prepared for a night out and stay as safe as possible 💜
Spiking can impact anyone, but women and non-binary folk are most targeted, so always try to stick together and be aware of the signs. If you feel weird, or if a friend is acting strange, trust your gut and seek medical help as soon as possible.
Save this guide or send it to a friend for your next night out 💌
Thanks go to The Loop for the guidance ❤️
Many of us chatted on this thread here about what helps us feel comfy and safe on a night out so feel free to add any tips of your own there or below 👇.
Alt text spoilered:
You can also view the post over on our Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/themixuk
With New Year coming up, many of us will be going out to parties or into town. Knowing how it might feel if we’ve been spiked and what we should do if it happens is a really good way for us to be prepared for a night out and stay as safe as possible 💜
Spiking can impact anyone, but women and non-binary folk are most targeted, so always try to stick together and be aware of the signs. If you feel weird, or if a friend is acting strange, trust your gut and seek medical help as soon as possible.
Save this guide or send it to a friend for your next night out 💌
Thanks go to The Loop for the guidance ❤️
Many of us chatted on this thread here about what helps us feel comfy and safe on a night out so feel free to add any tips of your own there or below 👇.
Alt text spoilered:
What you need to know about drink spiking
What is drink spiking?
If someone spikes our drink, it means they add a substance without our permission or knowledge that could affect our body's ability to function normally, which can potentially cause us harm and leave us vulnerable.
Why would someone spike a drink?
The main motivation for spiking someone's drink is unfortunately to take advantage of that person by committing sexual assault or rape.
This is a gendered issue as it is usually a crime committed by men against women or non-binary people. Mugging someone may also be a motivation for drink spiking.
It is important to remember that if someone spikes our drink then they're breaking the law.
Spiking someone's drink could land the individual with a 10-year prison sentence in the UK.
We aren't to blame for their actions, and we've done nothing wrong. The narrative that victims "should have been more careful" is dangerous and misleading - it is never our fault if our drink has been spiked.
It doesn't matter what drug it is or if it's alcohol that's used to spike - it's always wrong to put something in someone else's drink without consent.
Alcohol is the most common substance used in drink spiking and can be just as dangerous as other substances.
Tranquillisers such as diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam.
Party drugs like ketamine or ecstacy are also sometimes put in people's drinks to make them more intoxicated.
Some drugs are less commonly used but are often associated with drink spiking:
Rohypnol ("roofies"), a sleeping tablet and sedative that causes someone's responses to slow down, relaxes the muscles and can also cause memory loss.
GHB is a psychoactive substance in clear liquid form that is also sometimes referred to as a "date rape" drug.
Risks of unexpected intoxication
Another risk factor to be aware of when we're on a night out is the potential for alcohol or a recreational drug to have unexpectedly strong effects.
It's important to make sure we're with people we trust if we're drinking or experimenting with drugs, keep our phone charged and always have a plan for how we're going to get home.
What are the symptoms of our drink being spiked?
If we think we've been spiked, tell the people we're with and seek medical help straight away.
Call an ambulance or get to the nearest hospital and explain what has happened. The quicker we go to hospital, the more likely it is that the substance will be identified.
If a friend has been spiked, stay with them so if anything happens or their condition gets worse, we can call for help straight away.
Drink spiking is a serious crime, and we have a right to report it to the police.
This will involve answering some questions about what happened so try to remember as much as we can.
If we think we've been raped or sexually assaulted, this is also a serious crime. It's important that we tell someone as soon as we can to make sure we get all the support we need.
What is drink spiking?
If someone spikes our drink, it means they add a substance without our permission or knowledge that could affect our body's ability to function normally, which can potentially cause us harm and leave us vulnerable.
Why would someone spike a drink?
The main motivation for spiking someone's drink is unfortunately to take advantage of that person by committing sexual assault or rape.
This is a gendered issue as it is usually a crime committed by men against women or non-binary people. Mugging someone may also be a motivation for drink spiking.
It is important to remember that if someone spikes our drink then they're breaking the law.
Spiking someone's drink could land the individual with a 10-year prison sentence in the UK.
We aren't to blame for their actions, and we've done nothing wrong. The narrative that victims "should have been more careful" is dangerous and misleading - it is never our fault if our drink has been spiked.
It doesn't matter what drug it is or if it's alcohol that's used to spike - it's always wrong to put something in someone else's drink without consent.
Alcohol is the most common substance used in drink spiking and can be just as dangerous as other substances.
Tranquillisers such as diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam.
Party drugs like ketamine or ecstacy are also sometimes put in people's drinks to make them more intoxicated.
Some drugs are less commonly used but are often associated with drink spiking:
Rohypnol ("roofies"), a sleeping tablet and sedative that causes someone's responses to slow down, relaxes the muscles and can also cause memory loss.
GHB is a psychoactive substance in clear liquid form that is also sometimes referred to as a "date rape" drug.
Risks of unexpected intoxication
Another risk factor to be aware of when we're on a night out is the potential for alcohol or a recreational drug to have unexpectedly strong effects.
It's important to make sure we're with people we trust if we're drinking or experimenting with drugs, keep our phone charged and always have a plan for how we're going to get home.
What are the symptoms of our drink being spiked?
- A sense of being out of control
- Unconsciousness
- Confusion
- Blurred vision
- Memory loss
- Panic / anxiety
- Nausea / vomiting
If we think we've been spiked, tell the people we're with and seek medical help straight away.
Call an ambulance or get to the nearest hospital and explain what has happened. The quicker we go to hospital, the more likely it is that the substance will be identified.
If a friend has been spiked, stay with them so if anything happens or their condition gets worse, we can call for help straight away.
Drink spiking is a serious crime, and we have a right to report it to the police.
This will involve answering some questions about what happened so try to remember as much as we can.
If we think we've been raped or sexually assaulted, this is also a serious crime. It's important that we tell someone as soon as we can to make sure we get all the support we need.
You can also view the post over on our Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/themixuk
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