In October 2021, the UK saw a significant increase in spiking. Reports of, predominantly, women being spiked via injection on nights out flooded our social media pages and news articles. 

While it was never confirmed how many of these cases were legitimate, it did cause some people in power to wake up to this dangerous practice and launch an inquiry into spiking. 

For those who don’t know, spiking is when someone gives another person alcohol or drugs without their knowledge or permission. For example, if they were to either add substances to someone’s drink or inject them without their consent, they would be spiking that person. 

Many young people have expressed dismay and confusion as to why exactly one person would want to spike another. One thing they knew for sure, though, was that they themselves, or others they knew, had been spiked at least once before. In fact, according to YouGov, two in five of those aged between 18 and 24 know someone who has been spiked, including themselves. This is the highest of any age group.

“I think it’s pretty common. I know a lot of people who have been spiked or at least suspected they have been spiked, particularly women.”

“There are far more victims than we can comprehend and there are countless people who have been spiked and haven’t realised it. They may never even know.”

As this issue predominantly affects young people, we believe that they should be at the heart of the conversation, both politically and culturally. VoiceBox are proud to announce our latest campaign: ‘Shots, not shots’, to give young people the opportunity to share their own experiences of spiking, guide future legislation, and stay at the heart of what matters to them. 

We will be sharing weekly newsletters and publishing content right here on the VoiceBox website, so keep checking back for updates!