Trigger warning: this article contains an account of spiking that some readers may find distressing.

“Southampton student tells of horror spiking incident at ticketed student uni event.” “Darlington teenager speaks out after spiking incident.” “Young woman, 18, tells of spiking horror that saw her collapse and drift in and out of consciousness.” 

Type the word ‘spiking’ into Google News these days, and you’ll find stories of terrifying spiking-related incidents like these across the UK on a near-daily basis. According to a recent survey from the Alcohol Education Trust (AET), up to 15% of women and 7% of men have been spiked with alcohol or drugs, while a 2021 YouGov poll found that one in nine women in the UK have had their drink spiked.

Research also suggests that spiking offences far exceed the current conviction rate. Data released by 23 (out of a total of 48) UK police forces under freedom of information laws show there were at least 1,466 reports of spiking incidents in the UK in 2021, up from 722 in the year before. However, according to Helena Conibear, chief executive at the AET, there was only one charge brought against a spiking perpetrator in 2021, a shocking drop from eight charges in 2020 and nine in 2019. 

Recently, a disturbing trend of needle spiking – where an offender injects the victim with a substance using a needle – has dominated the headlines, with a home affairs committee inquiry into spiking finding that more than 1,300 reports of needle spiking have been made to UK police forces in less than six months since September 2021. With campaigners warning that spiking has now reached epidemic levels in the UK, a parliamentary inquiry heard last month that the offence is now the most widespread criminal repeated act at this moment in time in this country.

But as concern rises over the spate of recent spikings, there are those proactively working to create safe spaces for young people. Among them is 23-year-old Mair Howells, who started the campaign group I’ve Been Spiked to raise awareness of the offence and to support spiking victims after she was drugged at a London club in 2020. 

After making huge waves on social media and spearheading a government petition of almost 10,000 signatures, Howells is now delving deeper into the issue with her new podcast Pricks. Throughout the series, Howells makes it her mission to explore Britain’s spiking epidemic to find out how big the issue is, with insight from police, nurses, lawyers, psychologists and bar staff in a bid to challenge misconceptions around spiking and discover exactly what can be done to change things for the better. Most importantly, she hears from victims to understand the true, wide-reaching impact of spiking.

Here, Howells shares her experience of being spiked. 

“On Thursday 20 February 2020 I had my drink spiked. I went to a party at a local club in Peckham, which had been privately rented for a friend’s birthday. It was somewhere I had been many times before; so much so that I could probably walk home with my eyes closed. I had one or two drinks with some friends and my sister before I left the house. 

“I remember everything about that night up until buying a drink from the bar and taking that first sip. There was a high card limit at the bar, so I bought three drinks. I passed two back to my mates, and in that split second that I turned my back, I believe that was when my drink was spiked. 

“After that point, the night is completely black. I woke up the next day (thankfully in my own bed) confused, in all my clothes from the night before and covered in blood. I knew immediately that this wasn’t a hangover. I jumped straight out of bed, at which point I realised my chin was split and I had blood coming from my nose. 

“I went to my sister’s room to try to fill in the blanks. She had found me in the boys’ toilets, at which point I had already fallen and smashed my face. She took me home and tried to clean up my injuries. She mentioned when I got home that I started vomiting, which I have vague memories of and is very unlike me.

“I immediately felt numb. I knew that this was something out of my control. Still confused, I took myself to A&E to treat my physical injuries. I spent about six hours in A&E that day – alone, due to pre-Covid precautions. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so isolated and lost. When I was finally seen, it was the nurse who said to me: “I think you’ve been spiked; all your injuries and your story suggest this, but it’s too late to run any tests.” 

“I hadn’t cried that day until she asked: ‘Do you think you’ve been sexually assaulted?’ It was at this point I broke down because I couldn’t remember anything from the night before. If it means anything, I don’t think I was, but I was found in the boys’ toilets, so I don’t know if I was taken advantage of – which has been something I’ve had to live with. She then told me that she too had been spiked before, so she knew how horrible it was. 

“At this point, I questioned how many people is this happening to? This wasn’t my first experience of spiking; just two months before, my sister, the same person who got me home, had also had her drink spiked. When it happened to her I was so angry as she’s my younger sister and I’m protective of her. When it happened to me, I just felt numb. 

“Once my physical injuries were treated, I went home and tried to look for answers online. There was next to nothing apart from an NHS choices page telling you to go to A&E. I clocked that spiking is a massive grey area in nightlife safety: Helena Conibear, chief executive of the Alcohol Education Trust, has said those who report drink spiking find it is frequently “not taken seriously and dismissed” by both the police and the NHS, while a home affairs select committee heard in January that out of 747 people surveyed by the trust, only 8% of those who’d been spiked had reported it to the police or to a medic.

So, out of anger and frustration, I’ve Been Spiked was born.

“I wanted to create a space to raise awareness but also for other victims to get support and share their stories. I started the Instagram page in March 2020 after sharing my story. Hundreds of people came forward, and I really started to see how big of an issue this was.

“Since then I’ve been campaigning for change, focusing on education and how we can tackle violence against women and girls. I started a poster outreach for bars, pubs, clubs and festivals up and down the country that tell you the signs of spiking and what you can do to help someone who believes they have been spiked. I always said when I started the campaign that I would be happy if it just helped one other person; I never thought it would reach this far. I started a petition in October of 2021 for an ‘urgent review into drink spiking’, which won and was spoken about in parliament as part of their national inquiry into spiking in the UK.

“This month, exactly two years after I started I’ve Been Spiked, I’ve launched a podcast in association with What’s The Story? Sounds, which explores every dimension of spiking in the UK. I’ve spoken to police officers, nurses, psychologists and more to really get under the skin of this problem and working out exactly what we need to do to change. I hope that this podcast really sheds light on the issue and helps people to understand the true impact on victims.”

Pricks is available to stream on all platforms now

If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, please contact the police or call 999 for immediate support and 111 for non-emergencies. Head to Drinkaware for more information on drink spiking. You can call Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111 or find help via their website. 

Images: courtesy of Mair Howells