Adferiad Recovery’s anti-spiking campaign

The issue of spiking is a relatively under-reported problem that affects a large number of people. Over the festive period, Adferiad Recovery launched its anti-spiking campaign to help raise awareness of the issue and to encourage people to take precautions and keep themselves safe.

‘Spiking’ is when a person has added either alcohol or drugs to your drink, jabbed you with a syringe, or more rarely, contaminated cigarettes or vapes without you knowing. Being spiked can have serious consequences on your health and wellbeing and can make you extremely vulnerable to abuse, and so it is important to raise awareness of the issue in order to reduce the risk of harm.

We all have a right to know exactly what we are putting in our bodies, and by spiking someone’s drink or cigarette/vape or injecting them without their consent you are infringing on their human rights as well as committing a criminal offence, which can carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Adferiad Recovery’s Director of North Wales Operations, Naomii Oakley, said: “Spiking is a serious issue that can have long-lasting effects on the victim. Spiking can occur at any time of the year, but there is an increased risk over the festive period as more people head out to celebrate at public venues.

“It’s important to note that anyone can be a victim of spiking, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age or sexuality, and so this campaign aims to raise awareness of the issue to help people understand the risks associated with spiking and what to do if they, or someone they know, think they have been spiked to help reduce harm where we can.”

As part of the campaign we have produced a poster, which is available to print for free and display at venues by contacting Claire Jones via email: claire.jones@adferiad.org

We have also produced a short training video which can be viewed here.