Experts remind people to be cautious about drink spiking

Cold ones, spicy ones, bubbly ones and sweet ones are being poured all summer long in patios and backyards.

Experts are reminding those people to be extra cautious when it comes to things like drink spiking.

Chantelle Priel is a public education and outreach coordinator at the Regina Sexual Assault Centre (RSAC). She is also a registered social worker.

She isn’t aware of specific numbers but said the majority of sexual assaults are drug-facilitated.

Priel said spiking a drink is referred to as proactive.

“A perpetrator puts a drug into a victim’s drink, or they can give them alcohol until the person becomes inebriated,” she said.

The other type is called opportunistic and is the most common form of drug-facilitated sexual assault.

“This is where the perpetrator targets somebody who is already intoxicated, or incapacitated, and they take advantage of the state that the person is in. And so both things happen quite commonly,” said Priel.

She said reports of drink spiking are typically low, especially since a lot of people might not even be aware it happened to them.

“The problem with that is that drugs that are typically used for incapacitation will often exit somebody’s system before somebody has a chance to have urine or blood work done,” she said.

“They may also be unaware, potentially, that they were spiked…they may be under the impression that the alcohol just affected them differently.”

READ MORE:

• Regina woman sent to Noah Kahan concert after TikTok goes viral
• Saskatoon sexual assault centre finds alternate way to provide education
• Second sex assault reported at Country Thunder festival

Priel emphasizes that victims should not feel shame or guilt when they are sexually assaulted.

“This is the perpetrator’s fault, and never on the victim,” she said. “It should never be a source of shame for the intoxication of somebody. Everybody should feel free of harm, no matter what state they’re in.”

She said the hospital is the best place to receive quick and thoughtful care.

RSAC said both hospitals in Regina have a sexual assault nurse examiner program which is staffed 24/7.

“Somebody can go there to receive a forensic kit within 72 hours of the assault up to one week after,” said Priel.

The program specifically trains nurses in trauma-informed care, sexual assaults, community resources and forensic examinations according to Priel.

Priel urges anyone who feels like they’ve been drugged and want “hopeful evidence” to go to the hospital within 12 hours of the assault for the best DNA and evidence.

While there are things like drink testing strips and nail polish that changes colours when a drink has been tampered with, Priel said what it really comes down to is looking out for yourself and others.

“Just being mindful of paying attention to that, and communicating with with people when you might be feeling unsafe, or you think something might have happened in that way,” she said.

Priel also acknowledges that this should open up opportunities to have conversations with your loved ones and keep each other accountable.

“And so that creates a larger question and a larger call for accountability for the perpetrators in this instance,” she said. “And to hold friends accountable, who may be showing signs or symptoms themselves of being a perpetrator of this type of violence.”

Regina Police Service said drink spiking reports are low

Casey Ward is the Sergeant of the Regina Police VICE Unit, which investigates all sex crimes.

He said the Regina Police Service (RPS) doesn’t have a lot of drink spiking reports on file, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

“There are times that people will come and report to them (Regina Sexual Assault Centre), but don’t always report to police,” he said. “So we don’t know about it. But they’re (RSAC) very good that if they saw a trend like that they would never disclose any personal information, but they would let us know.”

He said noticing a change in your drink can be difficult. Changes to the way your body responds to the drink is far more noticeable.

“Especially for people that have experienced in drinking and know their intoxication level, they usually say, ‘I’ve had two drinks, but I feel like way more intoxicated than I should,’” he said. “So it’s kind of that different feeling.”

Ward has a 19-year-old daughter, so he knows all too well about telling people to watch out for each other.

“The big thing is let’s take care of each other,” he said. “Let’s make sure that who we go out with, we go home with and do not let our friends go home with strangers that people don’t know.”

He said bars and establishments have gotten a lot better over the years with training and protocol to keep patrons safe.