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Drink spiking

Drink spiking refers to the practice of adding alcohol or another substance to a person's drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) without their knowledge.

There are many reasons why a drink might be spiked, but common motivations are for amusement or to enable sexual assault, rape or theft.

This alert summarises what is known about drink spiking in Australia.

How common is drink spiking

Heightened media attention in recent years has led to the belief that drink spiking, involving sedatives and illicit drugs in particular, is becoming more common. However, there is little evidence to support this.

The most significant Australian study into drink spiking estimated that there were between 3000 and 4000 suspected drink spiking incidents from July 2002 to June 2003 (Taylor 2004). However, it is important to note that this and other reports rely on individual testimonies of spiking rather than toxicological analysis and confirmation.

More recently, another Australian study found that only nine of 97 suspected drink spiking incidents were deemed plausible after toxicological analysis. A case was considered plausible if the individual believed their drink had been spiked, the substance was not taken voluntarily and any symptoms experienced were consistent with the substances detected. The authors concluded that drink spiking was a rare occurrence in their study population (Quigley 2009).

Substances used

Media and public perception identify sedative drugs such as Rohypnol and GHB as the most common substances used to spike drinks.

In fact, the most commonly used spiking agent is alcohol. It is used as a drink spiking agent by either adding alcohol to non-alcoholic drinks, or by adding extra alcohol to an alcoholic drink. Of nine drink spiking cases identified in an Australian study over half had a blood alcohol concentration much higher than expected given the number of drinks reportedly consumed (Quigley 2009).

Research suggests that the use of sedatives and illicit drugs in drink spiking is actually rare. Studies have shown that the unexplained detection of such substances occurs in as few as three per cent of drink spiking cases (Greene 2007).

Who are the targets?

Reports indicate that drink spiking victims are most often women, with as few as one in five victims being male (Taylor 2004). It has also been estimated that 50 per cent of victims are under the age of 24 years (Taylor 2004).

Despite these statistics there is no typical drink spiking case. It can happen to anyone.

Why is it happening?

Drink spiking is commonly associated with sexual assault, with estimates suggesting that one-third of drink spiking incidents are associated with a sexual attack.

However, most drink spiking incidents are considered to be "prank spiking", referring to the addition of a substance as a practical joke or for fun (Taylor 2004). Given the potentially serious physical and psychological risks associated with drink spiking this trend is of concern.

Legal aspects

Drink spiking is illegal in all Australian states and territories, with penalties including fines and imprisonment ranging from two to 25 years.

Victoria has recently introduced legislation which makes the spiking of another person's food or drink an offence, even if the food or drink is not consumed or if the person is not adversely affected by the spiking.

References and further information

Greene SL, Shiew CM, Streete P et al. 2007 "What's being used to spike your drink? Alleged spiked drink cases in inner city London", Postgraduate Medical Journal, 83, pp.754–8

Model Criminal Code Officers' Committee of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General 2006 Discussion paper: drink spiking (PDF 192KB) , Canberra: Attorney General's Department

Model Criminal Law Officers' Committee of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General 2007 Final report: drink and food spiking (PDF 264KB), Canberra: Attorney General's Department

Neame A 2003 Beyond "drink spiking": drug and alcohol facilitated sexual assault, Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies

Olszewski D 2009 "Sexual assaults facilitated by drugs or alcohol", Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 16:1, pp. 39–52

Parliament of Victoria 2008 Crimes Legislation Amendment (Food and Drink Spiking) Bill 2008, Melbourne: Parliament of Victoria

Quigley P, Lynch D, Little M, Murray L, Lynch A & O'Halloran S 2009 "Prospective study of 101 patients with suspected drink spiking", Emergency Medicine Australasia, 21, pp. 222–8

Taylor, N, Prichard, J, & Charlton, K 2004 National project on drink spiking: investigating the nature and extent of drink spiking in Australia, Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology

You can find more research by searching drink spiking in the ADF Library collection.

In an emergency, telephone 000. For information on sexual assault, or for counselling or a referral, contact the Victorian Centres Against Sexual Assault on 1800 806 292 (24 hours). For information on drugs, see our website at www.druginfo.adf.org.au, or call 1300 85 85 84.

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