I recently attended a birthday celebration where everyone had a great time—all except for the birthday girl (my friend) who had the complete opposite of a good time. Why? Because one of the invitees, claiming to be courteous, offered her a drink. Naturally this shouldn’t seem odd, except the drink turned out to be like nothing she had ever tasted. She spent most of the time sick and to the point of passing out. She was, however, quite fortunate to have her best friends around, a lot more sober than she was, who took care of her.  

We’ll never know what concoction that guy gave her, and maybe it was not his intention to actually harm her, as some youngsters do it for the thrill of being ‘high’, but many girls, and boys, have had similar experiences, for example, on a date, with a friend or stranger. Shots of alcohol can be added to drinks to make them stronger, causing someone to get drunk much quicker than expected and is linked to crimes such as sexual assault and robbery—something called drink spiking. 

In an article published by Better Health Channel, it says that the offender may spike someone’s drink to lower their defences and make it easier to commit a crime against them. Estimates suggest that one third of drink spiking incidents are associated with sexual attack.

So, this may be up for debate, but when a guy spikes a girl’s drink without her knowledge, his intentions are usually less than honourable. 

When it comes to drink spiking, a rapist can easily get away with the crime, as he can claim the girl consented to sex (because the harder the drink hit her, the lighter-headed she got, making her ‘loosen up’, incapable of thinking clearly) and sadly, it can be used against her to let the rapist go. Sometimes, a girl may even get assaulted and have no recollection of it depending on how badly her drink was spiked. 

So, how can this be prevented? How can girls take precaution, and what are the signs of a potential rapist in a friend, acquaintance, or date of the night? Here are some things to consider:

● First and foremost, pay attention to your instincts: We don’t always pay attention to that inner sense, voice, or call that cautions us about a place, a person, or anything else. It would be far better if it was not overlooked.

● Don’t leave your drink unattended: Watch it or don’t drink it again if you leave it; ask for something else or stay still. Aside from that, this is the most common and convenient time to sneak something into your drink. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on the bartender while they’re serving you because they might be working on something together.

● Notice when you start feeling dizzy, nauseous or strange in any way: As soon as you observe any of these changes, seek help. Make sure you have your phone with you, charged and with credit in case you need to call your emergency go-to person.

● Stick with your friends: If you’re at a party or somewhere else with a lot of people, form a buddy system with people you can go to in case of an emergency or who can see any changes in you.

● Someone who disregards your boundaries or becomes hostile when you say no: Keep an eye out for someone who continues to touch you in places where you have stated that you do not want to be touched. The person might start guilt feeling you by calling you boring or uptight. When you don’t let them do anything they want with you, they may get very violent, note it and save yourself.

● A person who emphasises general unfavourable references to women, vulgarity, or reinforcing traditional male and female stereotypes that puts you in a vulnerable position or justifies his actions should be avoided.

People who have been sexually assaulted while intoxicated may find it difficult to contact police or ask for professional help because they feel guilt or shame, or are afraid they will not be believed. Get support even if you can’t remember exactly what happened, Better Health Channel’s article guides.