ARTISTS AGAINST DRINK SPIKING
What are date rape drugs?
Symptoms of drink spiking
Rohypnol (or Roofie) and Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) are the most commonly known ‘date-rape’ drugs. Both drugs can be used to commit physical and sexual assaults as they can sedate or incapacitate a victim, making them more vulnerable to attack.
If your drink has been spiked with a date rape drug it's unlikely that you will see, smell or taste any difference, no matter what type of drink you are having. Most date rape drugs take effect within 15-30 minutes and symptoms usually last for several hours.
Recreational drugs like Ecstasy, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), Ketamine and other ‘party-drugs’ are sometimes used to spike alcoholic drinks. Mixing alcohol and stimulants can be very dangerous and can cause serious medical problems, ranging from nausea to coma.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE DRINK GET'S SPIKED
WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE FRIEND'S DRINK GET'S SPIKED
• Alert someone you trust for extra help.
• Ensure that a possible victim is in a safe place.
• Secure their drink.
• Test a suspicious drink with the Drink Detective.
• If positive, call an ambulance – all drink spiking victims need medical attention.
If you or your friend suspects drink spiking, contact the police and go to the emergency department of your nearest hospital. Urine or blood tests performed within the first 24 hours are able to detect the presence of most drugs.
You may only have a few minutes to get help before the full effects of drink spiking drugs take over your body and stop you from being able to get help. Tell your friends or a bartender – someone you trust. Use a Drink Detective to see if your drink has been spiked. Remember that you will appear to be very drunk. Make sure someone understands that you need help. Do not go anywhere with anyone except someone you trust.
The effects of drink spiking vary depending on what you’ve been spiked with. Your symptoms could include:
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Lowered inhibitions
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Loss of balance
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Feeling sleepy
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Visual problems
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Confusion
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Nausea
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Vomiting
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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 have already consumed.
If you or a friend start to feel strange or more drunk than you should be, then get help straight away.
• Tell someone you trust that can help immediately.
• Stay calm.
• You may have a few minutes before the full effects kick in.
• Don’t continue to drink anything.
• If you can, test a suspicious drink with the Drink Detective.
• Stay with people that can help you.
DRINK
SPIKING
Spiking someone’s drink is a serious crime
Spiking a drink, whether with an extra shot of alcohol or another substance, is a serious crime. Anyone that does it could face serious criminal charges, and it can have very dangerous consequences for the health of the person whose drink is spiked.
Spiking a drink with the intention of making someone more vulnerable to assault, rape or robbery is an even more serious offence. Having sex with someone without their consent is always a crime – no matter what the circumstances are. Assault, rape and robbery all carry additional sentences.
What is drink spiking?
A person’s drink can be spiked to make them more vulnerable for a variety of motives, including theft or sexual assault.
Different types of spiking can include the following substances being added to drinks:
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Alcohol
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‘Date rape’ drugs
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Illegal drugs
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Prescription drugs (e.g. stimulants, tranquillizers, sedatives, opiates)
Drink spiking can happen to any type of drink, whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic. The effects can be unpredictable but are likely to be more serious if someone who’s had their drink spiked has also consumed more alcohol, or other drugs. This is because of the combination of effects from the different drugs working at the same time.
Shots of alcohol can be added to drinks to make them stronger, causing someone to get drunk much quicker than expected. Or sometimes a drink can be spiked with drugs that are specifically designed to incapacitate someone.
Because there are no official statistics it’s difficult to know the true extent of the crime. Often people don’t report drink spiking, because they don’t remember details of the night, or they feel embarrassed.
It can be a scary experience and it’s important to be able to recognise the signs your drink has been spiked or how to help someone you suspect has been a victim.