Drink spiking has serious consequences, yet it's true extent remains poorly understood.
To better understand its impact, Dr Jessica Ison turned to personal accounts shared on Reddit, revealing hundreds of drink-spiking victim-survivor stories.
“Drink spiking is when alcohol or drugs is given to someone without their knowledge, often with the intent to sexually assault them,” Dr Ison explains. “Despite frequent media accounts of drink spiking, we still don’t really understand the true prevalence.”
“We analysed victim-survivor and bystander accounts on Reddit and found that most drink spiking included alcohol, the victim-survivors was most likely female and the perpetrator most likely male,” she says.
The setting was often a bar or club or a house party, and the perpetrator was also often known to the victim-survivor. Worryingly, many victim-survivors experienced sexual violence.
“The victim-survivors described long-term mental health impacts and inadequate responses from emergency services. In fact, emergency services were often reported as further traumatising, particularly the police.”
Dr Ison recommends the term “alcohol and drug-facilitated sexual violence” as more inclusive terminology. She also highlights the need for prevention and intervention programs that validate victim-survivor experiences.
“Prevention should include promoting a broader understanding of alcohol and other drug facilitated sexual violence through community education and social marketing campaigns. And intervention should be focused on preventing perpetration, while considering the central role of facilitators like alcohol.”
