How much attention do you pay to what’s happening around you on a night out? You may think you’re being careful, but danger might be closer than you expect.
Shirah Benarde, founder of NightCap, set out to prove this in a recent TikTok video. During a party with friends, she decided to run a small experiment by secretly ‘spiking’ their drinks with candy while filming it all on camera. Shockingly, not a single person caught on. Keep reading to find out how she pulled it off.
Shirah Benarde set up a small experiment with her friends to prove a serious point
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Turns out, it’s surprisingly easy to tamper with someone’s drink
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
It’s incredibly important to never let your guard down in these situations
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
Image credits: shiraah
You can watch the full video here
Drink spiking is more common than you might think
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk / pexels (not the actual photo)
Shirah Benarde’s experiment of ‘spiking’ drinks with candy shows just how fast a fun outing can take a dangerous turn. Bored Panda caught up with Benarde to find out how she came up with this clever idea.
“I was brainstorming after a photoshoot with my photographer, Mike O’Malley,” she explains. “He suggested using candy.”
Her friends were shocked to find gummy worms floating in their drinks. “They had no clue when or where it happened,” she shares. “Most didn’t realize until I told them! Being around friends gives a false sense of security, making us think we can let our guard down. In reality, the person most likely to spike your drink is someone you know.”
To promote safety, Benarde created NightCap, a special cover designed to prevent drinks from being spiked. “NightCap has always provided fun solutions to a serious problem, and this approach truly embodies that,” she says. “We wanted to demonstrate real scenarios to show how easily drink spiking can occur. You never realize how quickly it can happen until it does.”
According to research conducted by YouGov in 2022, one in ten women (10%) and one in twenty men (5%) have experienced drink spiking. Alarmingly, another study led by alcohol psychologist Dr. Emma Davies revealed that while most incidents occur in bars or clubs, a quarter happen in private homes. This means that even in secure situations, there’s still a chance someone could exploit our trust.
“The most common substance that people are spiked with tends to be alcohol, such as adding more alcohol to someone’s drink,” Dr. Davies tells Bored Panda. “This makes it very difficult to tell if your drink has been tampered with. Other substances, including GHB, are also hard to detect.”
The reactions to being spiked differ from person to person. “It completely depends on what the drink has been spiked with,” she adds. “Usually, people will notice they feel differently than expected, based on their previous experiences with alcohol or any other substances they may be taking at the same time.”
According to the UK Metropolitan Police, symptoms often include confusion, nausea, hallucinations, paranoia, disorientation, poor coordination, memory loss, and difficulty communicating. In some cases, those affected may also have lowered inhibitions or even lose consciousness. These effects typically begin within 15 minutes of consumption, depending on the substance, and can last for several hours.
Most people don’t report drink spiking to the police
Image credits: Gabriel Hohol / pexels (not the actual photo)
Despite the risks, only 7.2% of individuals who experience drink spiking report it to the police. Reasons for this vary, but victims often face shame that discourages them from coming forward. One woman, Corey, who was 18 when she recounted her experience of being spiked in a 2018 BBC article, described the ordeal as terrifying. “I couldn’t feel my legs, I couldn’t feel my arms, I couldn’t speak properly,” she shares.
“Everyone I told gave me the same responses: ‘Oh, it happens. You should have been more careful; you should have watched your drink,’” she explains. “I was getting blamed.”
Dr. Davies recognizes that the way society treats victims in cases of drink spiking is deeply concerning. “If you have been a victim of spiking, this is not and never is your fault,” she emphasizes. “Unfortunately, we often hear about victim blaming, and the stigma associated with it can have a negative psychological impact.”
She encourages anyone who has experienced or suspects they have been spiked to reach out for support. “Talk to someone about it—contact a GP who can refer you for counseling if needed. University students can also reach out to their welfare services,” she advises. “All of these sources will listen, believe you, and provide individual support tailored to your needs.”
Dr. Davies also notes that there is not enough attention given to those who commit drink spiking offenses. “I would really like to see more focus on the perpetrators of spiking. While it’s important to support victims, we need to address the underlying issues, including, crucially, the topic of consent,” she says. “Men can also be spiked, and they may find it even harder to seek help.”
Many commenters agreed that this is a great way to make your friends aware of how unexpectedly their drinks could be spiked
However, some felt the experiment was a bad idea, thinking it could harm the trust the woman had with her friends
Others shared their own frightening experiences of getting roofied
