Spiking
What is Spiking?
Spiking is giving someone Drugs or Alcohol, without their knowledge or consent. This could happen through needle injection, or something being added to a drink by a stranger or someone you know.
It is classed as a criminal offence, even if it does not include a sexual assault.
More government information on what spiking is can be accessed here.
Sexual Assault & Rape
Find targeted advice and support services on this page.
Has someone been Spiked?
It can be hard to know if someone has been spiked, but do your best to avoid blaming the person affected for what has happened. If someone feels unwell and you suspect it could be spiking you should seek emergency medical attention by visiting A & E as soon as possible and tell them that that someone has been spiked.
How can I support someone affected by spiking?
Make sure the person affected stops drinking alcohol as this can make the situation worse, and make sure someone trustworthy stays with them at all times.
You may wish to tell bar staff or security and they may be able to help or keep you safe, but they do not replace medical professionals.
If you feel unwell get to A & E as soon as possible within 24 hours. If you choose not to, make sure you get the person who is affected to a safe space and stay with them until they are feeling better.
You can also encourage them to seek support for vaccinations, STI testing, or medical attention.
You should contact 999 if it is an emergency and ask for an ambulance.
Symptoms
It’s not easy to know for sure whether you have been spiked because it can appear like you are drunk. The person affected may present any or multiple of the following symptoms.
These include, but are not limited to:
- Feeling disproportionally drunk compared to normal
- Vomiting and Nausea
- Unconsciousness or drowsiness
- Confusion and disorientation
- Loss of balance
- Lowered inhibitions
- Slurred speech and an inability to communicate clearly
- Hallucinations and paranoia
- Poor coordination and vision
- Memory loss and blackouts
When might it be a medical emergency?
Medical emergencies can include any of these, but are not limited to:
- The condition of the person affected is getting worse.
- Fainting: Fainting or any loss of consciousness
- Breathing problems: Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- A suspected allergic reaction
- Seizures
Call 999, say that someone has been Spiked, and ask for an ambulance, or get to A & E by taxi, or any other safe and reasonable means. You can also phone 999 for support from the police if you feel like you are in immediate danger.
STI Testing & Vaccinations
Getting vaccinations as soon as possible can protect you if you may have caught something when you were spiked, especially if you were spiked with a needle.
If you suspect spiking by injection (needle spiking) or wish to gain some support for your sexual health without involving a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), you may seek help for infections such as hepatitis and HIV at your local Sexual Health Centre.
Some HIV treatments need to be started as soon as possible after the event.
Contact your local Sexual Health Clinic and let them know that you may have been spiked and they can provide relevant tests and vaccinations.
Find your nearest Sexual Health Clinic
Read about what sexual health clinics can offer, and find your nearest clinic here
Expert Advice
Many of the services on this page support people affected by spiking, as well as sexual violence (rape, or sexual assault).
They can organise support or refer you to additional services you may want, this means that anyone (men, women, LGTBQ+, and children) can access the support may want after the event.
Nottinghamshire’s Sexual Violence Services provides compassionate support and advice on this topic and can support you in reporting even if you’re unsure. They can also direct you to different organisations or support you with aftercare depending on your situation.
Nottinghamshire Sexual Violence Services
Visit their website here, or Call 0115 941 0440 (Mon – Fri: 10am – 1pm, 4.30 – 7.30pm Sat: 10am – 1pm)
Reporting to the police
You do not need to make a police report to access support for spiking.
Should you want to, the police are required to investigate any reports of spiking no matter when they occurred. However, forensic samples (blood, and/or urine) are recommended as soon as possible to the event as is achievable, so if you are aware you want to report ring 101 as soon as possible after the event or report online here. This is because some drugs can leave your system in a matter of hours, and there may no longer be high enough levels of the substance in your system when taking the test. This does not mean they will not believe you if you choose to report when you can no longer collect certain forensic evidence.
Support for reporting to the Police
Reporting an incident to the police can be difficult, and you may want to access advice, mental health support, or advocacy services should you choose to report what has happened.
These are organisations that can offer support when reporting to the police:
- If you contact or visit The Topaz Centre for rape or sexual assualt, they can support you with this. Get in touch here.
- Nottinghamshire Sexual Violence Services, Get in touch here.
- For students at UON or NTU, find the support you can access below in the ‘Support for Students’ sections below.
If you do not need support to make a report, use the link here to find the Nottinghamshire Police’s page on reporting incidents of sexual violence. Alternatively, you can ring 101 to make a report (available 24/7).
Information for any cases where additional drugs were voluntarily taken on the same night
It is important to be aware of your rights. If you voluntarily took any additional recreational drugs by choice around the time you were spiked, this does not stop your ability to report spiking or access medical help. You will be asked to disclose what you have taken to try help differentiate any substances. The police should understand that you may have had a few drinks or taken illegal drugs voluntarily on a night out. They should not judge you and they won’t search you. It’s not illegal to have drugs in your bloodstream unless you’ve been driving. For more information on this, follow this link to the Metropolitan Police website.
Complaints & Positive Feedback
If at any point you feel you would like to leave a positive comment about your experience with Nottinghamshire police you can say thanks and leave feedback here.
Alternatively, should you wish to make a complaint about an interaction you have witnessed with the Nottinghamshire Police, please do so here.
Has there been a rape, sexual assault, or are you unsure?
Spiking can affect your consciousness and make you more vulnerable to sexual assault, or rape. The ability to consent can be affected by being spiked too.
Consent is not given if someone is:
- Asleep or unconscious
- Drunk or “on” drugs
- Has been “spiked”
- Being pressured, bullied, manipulated, tricked, or scared into saying “yes”
- The other person is using physical force against them
Memory loss can also make it hard to know if this has happened.
If you think a sexual assault may have taken place, even if you do not have proof, do not worry. You can still access the same support, and you will be believed. If this happened in the last week contact and visit your local Sexual Assault Referal Centre as soon as possible, find in depth information and support services on our dedicated ‘Sexual Assault & Rape’ webpage below.
Sexual Assault Referral Centre (Nottingham)
The Topaz Centre. Find their contact details here.
Nottinghamshire Sexual Violence Services
If it happened more than a week ago, contact Nottinghamshire Sexual Violence Services here.
SV2 (Derbyshire)
SV2 is a sexual violence charity that can offer similar services, including advice and mental health support, but is for residents in the Derbyshire area. Find out more here.
Sexual Assault & Rape
Have you, or has someone you know experienced Sexual Violence? Find targeted advice and support services on this page.
Click to expand these sections for more information.
Testing for Spiking ASAP
If you think you might want to report spiking to the Police (immediately or in the future), you can make a report anytime after the event, but to have the best chance of prosecution you would need to have collected forensic evidence (blood or urine samples) soon after the event.
This can be tricky when the person affected may be unfit to get themselves to A & E or a local police station on their own. This is where the responsibility falls on to others, especially their friends to get them to A & E. To make it even harder, the drugs may only be in the victim’s system at high enough levels for a few hours, so there is a time pressure to getting this done.
Blood samples are commonly taken in A & E and can sometimes be signed over to the police at a later date, but the police can better advise where to get the tests done. Ring 101 at the scene, to ask about testing, or to begin making a report.
Technically, a hair sample can be collected a few weeks after the event, but this may not always be offered.
Self testing kits
We do not advocate the use of self-testing kits over those carried out by professionals. These may include drink testing kits or other drug test kits.
They may cause you to waste precious time waiting for validation that something happened. Even if you feel unsure, you can access support via the services stated above and even discuss the options of testing that are available to you. You can report to the police even if you are not sure too, this is often the case due to problems with memory loss and losing conciousness.
Whilst drink testing kits may catch a spiked drink before you drink it, they do not provide the valuable medical assistance A & E or a sexual health clinic can provide, and the police cannot use them as evidence if you were to use the drinks tests after drinking that drink.
Are you a venue? Sign up to the Safe Space Pledge
The pledge is made up of eight actions and commitments venues in Nottingham can take to improve the safety of women and girls.
It has been co-designed by specialists in the sexual violence, domestic abuse and women’s safety sector and sends a clear message to anyone who lives, works, studies or visits Nottingham that the safety of all women and girls is a priority.
This includes training on sexual assault and spiking for the staff at these venues.
Find out more, or sign up here.