Drink spiking: why it’s not funny

What is drink spiking?

Drink spiking is when alcohol or another substance is added to a person’s drink without them knowing. As a result the person could become intoxicated unexpectedly. A spiked drink is also known as a ‘mickey finn’ or being ‘slipped a mickey’.

Is it legal?
Drink spiking is illegal. It is a serious offence to introduce a drug into the body of another person without their knowledge or consent, especially if the offender uses the drug to help them commit a sexual offence.

Should I be concerned?
Drink spiking is not a new phenomenon, but it is a growing problem worldwide, especially around licensed premises such as nightclubs, hotels, pubs and other social venues. Drink spiking is commonly associated with certain other crimes, such as drug-assisted sexual assault (also known as ‘drug rape’).
In Australia in 2002, about a quarter of victims of sexual assault reported that they had been drugged. More than 90 per cent of victims of drug-assisted sexual assault are women, and more than a third of all victims are aged 16–24 years. In about a third of cases, the offender is known to the victim, as a friend or acquaintance (also known as ‘date rape’).

The drinks most commonly spiked are alcoholic drinks, but there is evidence that drugs have been used to lace soft drinks, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. It only takes a second to drop in a pill, or some powder or liquid. You may not notice a change in your drink, especially if you are at a noisy pub, a party or other social event.

Some drugs used to spike drinks have no colour, taste or smell, and may take a while to affect you. As the drug takes effect you could become unconscious, and, later, when its effects have worn off, you may not be able to remember what happened.

What are the dangers of drink spiking?
Drink spiking can expose you to dangerous situations, such as:

• assault
• robbery
• sexual assault and unsafe sex
• health effects of unknown drugs.

Offenders use drink spiking to get easy control of their victims. The drugs used in drink spiking can immobilise and silence you. By using drugs, the offender does not have to use physical force or overcome any form of resistance from you, they do not have to threaten you to get compliance and they do not have to be concerned about your screams attracting attention. In addition, because of the effects of certain drugs, you may become confused about exactly what happened.