“Spiking” is when someone is given alcohol or drugs without their consent. Being spiked is never the fault of the victim. Often we think of spiking as the adding of drugs to a drink, and more recently spiking by injection, however spiking can also take the form of things like giving someone a different drug to the one they consented to taking or adding additional alcohol to drinks.
Spiking may be for malicious purposes (e.g., to cause fear or make someone more vulnerable to another crime, particularly sexual assault) or non-malicious but equally dangerous purposes (e.g., to make someone have “more fun”).
Whatever the motivation, administering drugs or alcohol, especially for sexual purposes, is a criminal offence and punishable by law. Our university takes such incidents very seriously and will investigate any complaints of spiking made under our Code of Student Discipline or our Staff Disciplinary Procedure (Ordinance 68, Part 2, Schedule 2).
We continue to proactively work with our partners to improve safety for students and staff in venues across Stirling, and promote healthy relationships and consent to students via our Don’t be a bystander, be a friend module. We strongly encourage all students to take this module during their first year at University.
Drink spiking is when someone administers alcohol or drugs to another person via a drink without obtaining their consent. This may make the person more vulnerable and can be carried out for a variety of motives, including theft or sexual assault.
Drink spiking can happen to all types of drink, not just alcoholic drinks, and can be carried out by adding shots of alcohol to drinks, causing someone to become drunk very quickly, or by adding drugs that are designed to incapacitate.
It is very hard to tell if a drink has been tampered with, as these drugs can be odourless, colourless, and tasteless.
Spiking by injection is when a drug is administered directly into a person via a needle without the person’s knowledge or consent. Injection spiking can pose additional health risks due to its use of a needle. The effects are reported to be similar to drink spiking but with pain or bruising at the point of injection.
Whilst very serious, confirmed instances of spiking by injection are very rare.
You can find further information on spiking on the Young Scot and Drinkaware websites.
Victims of spiking can experience a variety of different symptoms, Drinkaware list some of the most common as:
The symptoms someone may experience will vary depending on the substance or mix of substances used, how much alcohol already consumed, and the size and weight of the person spiked.
Being spiked can be a scary experience.
Our Student Support Team can help you if this happens to you. If you believe there was a sexual motive or if you have been sexually assaulted, our Sexual Violence and Misconduct Liaison Officers (SVMLOs) can provide more specialised support, such as referrals to specialist agencies or support to help resume your academic studies.
If you think a friend has been spiked and they are showing any of the symptoms above, you can:
There is no excuse for spiking. All responsibility is with the perpetrator who has committed the crime, and the victim is never to blame.
All venues that are licensed to sell alcohol have a legal duty for public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder on their premises, and this is monitored by their local authority.
Perpetrators will spike any type of drink, including non-alcoholic drinks, and spiking can occur at any venue, public or private, including parties in houses.
You can help prevent a perpetrator from spiking your drink by:
Remember: If your drink is spiked, it is not your fault. Our Student Support Team and SVMLOs can provide support and advice on your options via support via Report and Support.
Our campus venue staff are trained in Ask for Angela. This is a national campaign which started in Lincolnshire in 2016 to help people who feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened while out.
If you go to one of our venue staff and ask for ‘Angela’ they will know you need some help getting out of your situation and will look to assist you. This might be through reuniting you with a friend, taking you to a taxi, or by calling venue security and/or the police.
The University of Stirling Safe Taxi Scheme was designed in consultation with the Students' Union, Police Scotland, Stirling Council and Stirling Taxi Association.
Its purpose is to support students in emergency circumstances, by helping them get home safely if they run out of money.
The Students’ Union works closely with the University and local authorities to ensure that your night out both here on campus and in Stirling and the surrounding area is as safe as possible.
Within the venues run by the Students’ Union, your safety is our top priority. As such, if there is anything you are concerned about (including if you are worried your drink has been spiked) please report this to a member of staff at the time so we can help support you. If you think a drink may have been spiked, we’ll be able to test it and give you the help and support you need. The Union also promotes the Ask for Angela and Safe Taxi scheme, have CCTV in operation in our outlets and spikeys for use in bottles as well as water being freely available. Anyone found to have been engaging in drink spiking will face disciplinary action and be reported to the police.