Trigger warning: this page contains references to spiking and sexual assault.

What is spiking?

Spiking is the act of putting alcohol or drugs into another person’s drink, or into their body through another method such as injection via a needle or via a vape without their knowledge and consent. Figures show that 1 in 10 students have experienced spiking nationally. 

Spiking is a serious criminal offence and carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison. If a robbery, sexual assault, or other crime took place, the sentence may be even longer. When someone has been spiked, it is always the person who spiked the drink who is responsible. The survivor is never to blame. In 2025, legislation is due to be introduced which will make spiking a separate and specific criminal offence of its own. The government’s proposed new legislation will aim to increase reporting of spiking and pose a stronger deterrent to violence.  

  • Any drink can be spiked, including soft drinks, juice, water or alcohol.  A drink that has been spiked may not look, smell, or taste any different.
  • Most drugs take effect within 15-30 minutes and symptoms will usually last for several hours.
  • Spiking can be life-threatening and have lasting impacts on students who experience it and on their friends who witness it. 
  • A person can be spiked to make them more vulnerable for a variety of reasons, including theft or sexual assault. 
  • The threat of spiking happening restricts the ability for students (predominantly, but not only women) to socialise – freely and without fear – as part of their student experience. 

Spiking - symptoms and staying safe

Being spiked can be a scary experience and it's important to be able to recognise the signs that you have been spiked or how to help someone you suspect has been spiked. 

Symptoms could include: 

  • Mental confusion or memory loss
  • Hallucinations or paranoia 
  • Seizures  
  • An unusually long hangover or a severe hangover when you had little or no alcohol to drink
  • Disorientation/ visual problems 
  • Inability to communicate clearly  
  • Paranoia 
  • Poor coordination/ loss of balance 
  • Poor visibility 
  • Unconsciousness 
  • Loss of bladder control 
  • Nausea 
  • Vomiting 

Any drug can be used to spike someone, but the most commonly used drugs are: 

  • Alcohol - shots of alcohol can be added to drinks to make them stronger. This causes someone to get drunk much quicker than expected. 
  • Recreational drugs - recreational drugs such as Ecstasy, LSD Ketamine and other "party drugs" are sometimes used to spike alcoholic drinks. 
  • Rohypnol and GHB - these drugs, also known as "date rape drugs", are most commonly used by people who carry out spiking to rape or sexually assault someone. They can be odourless, colourless and tasteless. They are commonly used to commit physical and sexual assaults as they can sedate or incapacitate a victim, making them more vulnerable to attack. 

We believe that you should be able to enjoy yourself without the fear of being spiked and condone any form of victim blaming - it is never your fault if your drink is spiked. Whilst venues and the Police should work together to create a safer environment for everyone, there are some practical things you can do to stay safe on nights out: 

  • Never leave your drink unattended.   Don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know or that hasn’t been prepared in front of you.  
  • If you’re in a venue run by Student’s Union UCL, you can ask for help discreetly, with the ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative where you ask for Angela at the bar and staff will understand that you are asking for help. Many venues are now part of the ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative. 
  • All staff in our bars and venues are trained as Active Bystanders and have undertaken a Spiking awareness course.
  • Our Students’ Union bars and many places across London have freely available preventative drink stoppers/lids and test kits available in the bars and advertised in the venues – please do ask for these.
  • Stick together with friends and look out for each other.   Agree with your friends that you’ll let each other know when you get home safely. There are apps to help. 
  • You can also become an Active Bystander with training offered by the Students’ Union which helps you safely intervene if you witness problematic behaviour.  

What to do if you think you are a victim of spiking  

  • Tell somebody you trust.
  • If you are in a night life setting, tell a member of staff, bar manager, or door supervisor.
  • If you’re in one of our bars, please seek help from bar staff immediately. You will be taken to a safe place for help, and this might also help us identify the person who has spiked your drink.
  • If elsewhere, stay in a public area and try to find a safe space where a member of staff can help you.
  • Do not drink any more alcohol.
  • Don’t go home alone or with somebody you don’t know.
  • Ask a friend to take you straight home or, if you are seriously unwell, to hospital.
  • If you are unsure whether you need medical help, it’s better to go to hospital. 

What is UCL doing about spiking?  

  • Our SU bars and many places across London have preventative drink stoppers/lids and test kits available in the bars and advertised in the venues – please do ask for these.  
  • Our Students’ Union (SU) venues have a number of policies aimed at preventing harm, including spiking.   
  • Our SU venues also have the Gold accreditation in the Best Bar None scheme, the industry standard for safer socialising. 
  • SU venue staff have received training on how to prevent spiking, and how to support people who are showing signs of being spiked. 

Our sector-leading Active Bystander Programme empowers students to recognise and challenge problematic behaviours, such as bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct both on and off-campus.

The programme is part of our journey towards social and cultural change and compliments other initiatives across the Students' Union and UCL, such as sexual harassment training provided for clubs and societies by the Union. 

More than 50,000 students have been trained to safely intervene to stop bullying, harassment, racism and sexual misconduct – making it the largest programme of its kind in higher education. 

Support from UCL

UCL wants to support you if you have been affected by spiking and we have many ways of supporting you.

UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services can direct you to appropriate support both within and outside of UCL. The support we provide is free and available to any student enrolled at UCL.

Student of Concern Form

If you are worried about the wellbeing of a student who has been involved in a spiking incident, you should contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services by completing a Student of Concern Form. We will reach out to the student and offer support. Please note that this form is monitored during office hours only.

Student of Concern Form

Find out when and how to raise a concern about a student's wellbeing or safety with Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Find out more

External support options

We understand you may not want to discuss an incident with us and there are some specialist organisations you can turn to outside of UCL.   

Spike Aware UK is a charity that aims to build a movement to empower victims of drink and needle spiking crime.   
 

TASA is a youth-powered community that believes everyone deserves to have fun without fear. Their company is driven and run by the target audience; a group of analysts aged 18- 24 supported by a small number of advisers who are subject matter experts.  

Visit The Egalitarian website for more information on spiking and for a range of support links.

How to report spiking

Use the UCL Report + Support tool to report an incident of spiking - you can report anonymously if you wish. A Student Support and Wellbeing Caseworker will provide support and advise you on how you can take the incident forward if do not report anonymously.

It is completely up to you whether you would like to report an incident to the Police. UCL will support you in your decision.

Some substances used for spiking can’t be detected after 72 hours or even 12 hours, so doing this as early as possible can help the police find out what has happened.  If you would like to report the incident to the police, read about how you can do this. UCL will support you through this.  

UCL's Crime Prevention and Personal Safety Office can support you if you wish to report to the Police.

Spiking related to sexual violence

Please see our page on sexual harassment, misconduct and violence webpage. 

We understand how difficult it can be to disclose an incident of sexual violence and it may take a long time before you are able to seek support. There is no time limit on accessing support, either from UCL or from external services.

Spiking related to theft

If you have been a victim of theft related to a spiking incident, please look at our Emergency services contacts page.

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Help in crisis

Student Support and Wellbeing Services does not offer emergency support. If you’re in immediate danger of hurting yourself or others:

Visit our urgent and out of hours mental health support page

Crisis support

Student Support and Wellbeing Services do not offer emergency support. If you’re in immediate danger of hurting yourself or others:

  • Go directly to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department of your local hospital.
  • Call 999 to request an ambulance if you are unable to reach the hospital yourself.

If you’re feeling distressed and need urgent support:

  • Contact your GP surgery to request an emergency appointment. If your GP surgery isn’t open, call 111 for free out-of-hours NHS medical support.
  • You can call the Samaritans on 116 123 to talk to someone at any time, day or night.
  • Nightline are a listening service for students, by students. They’re available overnight for online chat and calls from 6pm-8am.