Someone spiked my drink
What is drink spiking?
Drink spiking is when
alcohol or another
drug is added to your drink without you knowing. This results in you becoming drunk or drug affected unexpectedly. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks can be spiked, and it can happen at clubs, bars and at parties. Spiked drinks are also called a ‘mickey finn’ or being ‘slipped a mickey’.
What are the effects of drink spiking?
The effects of
drink spiking depend on a number of things, including your size, weight and the amount or combination of the
drugs used. You can become unconscious, not able to defend yourself, or remember what happened. People may spike your drink as a prank or with the intent assaulting, robbing or sexually assaulting you.
What drugs are used in spiking?
Alcohol
Alcohol is the most common drug used in drink spiking. It may be done either by having
alcohol added to non-alcoholic drinks and adding shots of spirits to alcoholic drinks to make your drink much stronger than you think. Don’t assume that you can always taste the alcohol in your drinks. If your drink is sweet or has strong of flavours the taste of alcohol can be masked.
Depressant drugs
Depressant drugs, especially sedatives can be used to spike drinks. These drugs are usually used to relax the body or help people sleep. Combined with alcohol they can have very strong effects. This may result in you feeling very drunk and mean that can’t remember some or all events that took place after you were drugged. The drug’s effects can start within 15 to 30 minutes, and can last up to 8 hours or longer, depending on the amount used and how much alcohol you have drunk. Effects include feeling sleepy, dizzy or drowsy, loss of motor skills, muscle relaxation, slurred speech, memory loss, impaired judgment, loss of inhibition, loss of consciousness, visual problems and nausea.
GHB
Gamma hydroxybutyrate acid (GHB) can cause amnesia, impair movement and speech, and can be added to drinks without visible trace. GHB is also known as ‘fantasy’, ‘grievous bodily harm (GBH), liquid ecstasy and ‘liquid E’. It comes as a colourless, odourless, bitter or salty-tasting liquid, or as a crystal powder. GHB has been used medically as a general anaesthetic and to treat sleep disorders. The effects of GHB include hallucinations, extreme drowsiness, vomiting, convulsions or seizures, and unconsciousness or abrupt short-term coma. GHB is a dangerous drug in itself. Mixed with alcohol, the harmful effects are stronger.
