Five signs you're not drunk, you've been spiked
Campaigners urge students to know the signs of being spiked as universities reopen after the summer
Anti-spiking campaigners are warning students heading off to university to know the signs if they, or a friend, has been targeted during fresher's fortnight.
As universities reopen following the summer break, and thousands of young people head off to university for the first time, there are concerns many might be vulnerable as they start life in a new town or city.
New friendship groups, lack of local knowledge, and visiting new venues are all factors that could increase the risk of being targeted by spikers.
Signs you've been spiked
The team behind the anti-spiking app TASA has told Magic at the Musicals it's vital young people understand what it feels like to be spiked, and have put together a list of five signs that you may have been targeted.
- Limbs feeling heavy or limp or like ‘dead weight’
- Feelings of paranoia
- Wanting to speak but unable to move mouth and form words
- Conscious mind but body not responding
- Sudden loss of motor skills
Campaigners warn that all too often, spiking victims are dismissed as being drunk, and are keen to point out that while some symptoms overlap, they will often appear disproportionately to how much alcohol has been drunk, and will often take effect much quicker than alcohol related issues.
Spiking incidents at university
Sloane Carroll from TASA told us it's unfortunate that these warnings are needed at a time when many young people are celebrating their first time away from home.
But she believes education about the risks is crucial: "Go in with this at the back of your mind, when you're going to new bars you might not know how these places operate compared to places back home.
"So being switched on is really important"
Sloane says that often people who've only just met don't know how others respond to alcohol, and might dismiss a spiking incident as someone drinking too much on a night out.
She says letting a third party know what your plans are can also help spot signs things are going wrong: "We really suggest letting someone you know, who isn't going out with you, what your plans for the night are.
"If someone knows you're meant to be back at a certain time, that you are intending on returning home, if they see that doesn't happen they can raise the alarm."
Safety advice for students
Sloane says reporting any spiking incidents is also important, to force Police and Councils to act in trouble-spots: "If you wake up and you don't know where you are, it's unlikely that the first thing you'll think is 'Oh this isn't my fault, I've been spiked'.
"You'll probably think 'I got too drunk last night' but this is a crime, you're the victim of a crime."
TASA has issued this safety advice to anyone heading out to university for the first time.
- Tell a friend who isn’t out with you what your plans are
- Think twice before sharing your drink
- Take a photo with new people you meet
- Inform your friends of your movements during the night - whether it be going to the loo or leaving the bar/club
The TASA app has introduced new features to its functionality ahead of the new academic year.
As well as being able to send out a call-for-help to trusted contacts, and get locations to the nearest hospital or pharmacy, the app can now work through voice activation, in case the effects of spiking causes the user to lose the ability to operate their phone manually.
Investigation into spiking
Last year Magic at the Musicals launched an investigation into the scale of spiking in the UK - the shocking findings can be seen in this short documentary:
You can find out more about what to do if you've been spiked, as well as links to organisations and resources on the #SPIKED page of our website