The SU is trying to broaden students’ understanding of spiking to encapsulate more than drug- and needle-based spiking. Its approach is not just about illegal intoxicants, but also about nonconsensual consumption of alcohol, whether that’s because someone is being pressured to drink more, or they’re being given a sneaky double when they asked for a single.    

As part of the SU’s latest Anti-Spiking Campaign, Alicia Khuttan, the Women’s Officer and Chris Kershaw, the Campaigns and Democracy Officer, have made a video in which they reiterate what spiking is. The campaign was sparked by Alicia hearing more and more about women’s safety issues: “Holding a role titled Women’s Officer, I felt responsible for all my friends and the women around me.”    

Alcohol-based spiking is the most common form of spiking but is often normalised as it generally stems from good intentions rather than malicious ones. It’s usually surrounded with sentiments of ‘let loose’ and ‘have fun’. This also makes it harder to turn down. According to police data, 81% of reported spiking victims were students.  

The frequency of alcohol-based spiking does not mean that drug and needle-based spiking do not exist. These forms of spiking are less common but pose a bigger threat due to the dangers of mixing chemicals with alcohol. Spiking using alcohol is not seen as dangerous, perhaps because of alcohol’s legality.  

As soon as spiking is also thought of as alcohol-based, it’s not the hooded stranger in the corner that needs keeping an eye on. It’s the charming guy who’s just bought you another drink – even though you’ve barely finished the last one. It’s your friend who works behind the bar, who is being nice and overpouring your drink. It’s your teammate at pres who mixed a bunch of spirits together to help you get drunk faster.  

Jungle Juice is another example of alcohol-spiking, as it is intended to be a cheap and quick solution for getting guests drunk. As a mixture of spirits, there’s no way of really knowing how much alcohol is in one drink and so it isn’t possible to drink it responsibly.    

A student who was spiked with alcohol during their first semester shared her experience. “It’s difficult because if you meet a guy who offers to get you a drink it’s not something you’re told to worry about.”   

“They’ll keep buying you drinks even when you don’t ask for one and at that point it’s rude to say no because you’ve already accepted a few,” she shared. Alicia also commented on the socialisations surrounding alcohol: “it’s hard for women to say ‘no’ when they’re offered a drink, they’re told they shouldn’t be rude.”  

 Spiking is not as gendered as many preconceptions believe it to be, especially concerning spiking using alcohol. Alcohol-related charity, Drinkaware, found that there was “almost an equal split” amongst men and women. Men are often spiked by their friends egging them on or with chugging contests.  

 Drink spiking has existed for a long time but gained national traction in 2021 with an uptake in spiking reports. Michael Kill of Night Time Industries Association said, “Despite the rise in reported incidents, this has been happening for some 20 or 30 years within the industry.” As such, training has often included recognising the overpouring of alcohol to be a form of spiking.  

 All staff members of the SU venues receive training on recognising instances of spiking, harassment and abuse. Implementing such training programmes is not mandatory and at the discretion of the venues themselves; this includes schemes like Ask for Angela or Stamp Out Spiking.  

 Many bars, including the SU’s venues, are equipped with anti-spiking tools such as spikees and lids. These tools are able to prevent pill slipping but are ineffective against the additional alcohol already in that person’s cup.   

 Prior to club nights and other events, all venue staff, including bar staff and security, are given a briefing regarding the expectations for the event, such as how many tickets were sold. They are also given a run through health and safety protocols.  

 A UK government report on spiking found that two-thirds of respondents felt that venue and security staff needed “more or better training.” One respondent shared: “I felt like we were failed by people who were sober and should have had a duty of care. Security at the bar just kick you off the premises, taxi drivers refuse to drive you because they don’t want a mess in their taxi, the bar men just keep serving drinks.”  

 On club nights, the SU has additional support from St. John’s Ambulance Service and Alcohol Impact to assist students. St. John’s provides first aid and medical attention where needed, whereas Alcohol Impact focuses on helping students feeling overwhelmed or who have had too much to drink. Most test kits are handed out during club nights or if a student feels like they might have been spiked.  

 Students take the tests to the N&N to get checked. The N&N is part of Norwich’s anti-spiking campaign and are able to test for 1600 compounds. The kits were introduced in 2021 to offer the best chance to detect substances before they pass through the body. The test kits are available throughout Norwich, including at the Walk-In Clinic and SOS Bus.   

 The hospital only communicates with the ‘donor’ of the test. As such the SU and UEA rely upon students filing a report of the incident and sharing their results. When they do not receive feedback, they have to make assumptions regarding the results coming back negative for drug-related spiking. Last year, the UEA reported that there had been less than five allegations of spiking on campus.  

 Alcohol Education Trust found that 92% of those who had their drink spiked didn’t report it. A further survey by the UK government found that 75% of respondents hadn’t reported their spiking either. The reports found zero-tolerance drug approaches as well as real or perceived victim-blaming deterred victims from reporting incidents of spiking.  

 It is currently not possible to test for alcohol-based spiking, especially if someone was already drinking alcohol. Therefore, it is not fully possible to accurately measure how widespread the issue is. “There are enough stories out there to show that there is a problem,” shared Alicia. “That’s why we want to reiterate to students what spiking is.”