What you need to know about drink spiking

What is drink spiking?

Drink spiking, or K.O. drops as they are known in German-speaking countries, refers to substances that are misused to render people unconscious, compliant or unable to act. They can be slipped into drinks unnoticed in order to commit crimes. Various substances can be used, such as liquid ecstasy (GHB and GBL), ketamine or benzodiazepines.

In detail, the various substances have quite different mechanisms of action. What they all have in common is that they are sedating (sleep-inducing) or even narcotic (causing unconsciousness). Many of them also take effect within a few minutes. Perpetrators don’t always aim for a complete blackout, though. With some substances this effect depends on the dose and only occurs at high doses or in combination with alcohol.

At lower doses the person is still able to function, for example they can still stand, walk or interact with their surroundings, but they are compliant and can no longer remember things properly. This can allow perpetrators to take victims somewhere else and commit further crimes against them (sexual offences, assault, robbery etc.).

How often drinks are spiked is hard to say, because a covert administration is not always recognised, proven or reported. That is why there are hardly any meaningful statistics. It can also happen that, because the symptoms resemble alcohol poisoning, victims don’t even suspect that they may have been secretly drugged.

What makes GHB and GBL special

Experts believe that, apart from alcohol, the substance GHB and its precursor GBL are the most commonly used drink spiking substances, as they are quick and comparatively cheap to obtain on the black market. Their effect profile and short detection window are big advantages for perpetrators. GHB is a highly potent general anaesthetic. This means that GHB can switch off both the sensation of pain and consciousness, making it suitable for inducing anaesthesia. Much like ketamine, however, this substance is misused as a party drug because it produces a “high” at very low doses.

Demand for GHB is rising on the black market

GHB is a neurotransmitter that occurs naturally in every human brain. When it is released, it binds to the body’s own GHB receptor and has a euphoric, anxiety-relieving, disinhibiting and sexually stimulating effect. GHB taken from outside initially has the same effect at low doses. Voluntary GHB use increases demand on the black market and means that GHB is often already present, hidden away, in party settings. This availability also makes it easier for perpetrators to misuse it.

A dose of GHB just a few microlitres higher leads to higher blood plasma concentrations and then has a narcotic effect. This is because GHB can also bind to so-called GABA receptors in the nervous system. Since this binding works poorly, an unnaturally high dose of GHB is needed. When the GABA receptors are stimulated, a kind of sleep programme is triggered in the body. The GABA system is also where many other anaesthetic drugs act. Combined with alcohol, GHB works considerably longer and more strongly at the same dose.

GBL takes effect seconds after ingestion

Besides GHB there is also the substance already mentioned, γ-butyrolactone (gamma-butyrolactone or GBL), which is completely converted into GHB in the blood within seconds of ingestion. However, before conversion GBL reaches significantly higher blood plasma concentrations than GHB, which at the same dose leads to higher GHB blood levels and therefore stronger impairment. GBL is used industrially as a solvent and is therefore comparatively cheap and freely available.

GHB has been a controlled substance under narcotics law since 2002. In concrete terms this means that possessing, acquiring, trading, supplying and administering GHB are criminal offences. Prescription psychotropic drugs such as benzodiazepines are also covered by narcotics law in Austria and Germany. This hardly matters, however, because perpetrators can still buy GBL: illegal trade in GBL is a criminal offence under medicines law, but it can still be bought legally and cheaply as a solvent and cleaning agent, for example for removing nail polish and graffiti. The best prevention therefore remains caution: keep an eye on your drinks and, when in doubt, don’t accept open drinks from strangers. Ralf Wischnewski from Drogenhilfe Köln adds: “In our view it is important to go out with friends, to look out for each other and to notice if someone changes very quickly. If there are changes in behaviour, it is important to protect your friends and get them out of the situation.”

What good are drink spiking wristbands?

How handy would it be if you could simply test your drink for spiking substances yourself? In fact, wristbands that advertise exactly that have been around for a while. You are supposed to stir your drink and dab a few drops onto the test field of the paper-strip wristband. Less than two minutes later, according to the manufacturer, the wristband gives you the answer: if the test field turns blue, there is GHB in the drink. That’s the theory. But you’d better not rely on the wristband. In a usage study by the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Cologne University Hospital, scientists using the wristband were only able to detect the GHB present in 50 percent of the drinks tested.

What’s more: with red wine and orange juice, for example, the drink’s own colour is already so strong that judging the colour change is difficult, especially in dim club lighting. Another problem is that the wristbands are only designed to detect GHB. Ralf Wischnewski from Drogenhilfe Köln criticises this dangerous false sense of security: “The substance that in our view is administered most often, namely GBL, cannot be detected with the bands at all.”

That is why Night Saver has specifically focused on making its test cards able to detect GBL as well.

How long can spiking substances be detected?

GHB and GBL can only be detected in the blood for around six to eight hours after ingestion. In urine, GHB and GBL can be detected for between eight and twelve hours. Ketamine can be detected for up to 72 hours and benzodiazepines for almost a week. These values are always relative, though, and depend on the person as well as the dose.

What can you do if your drink has been spiked?

You’ve hardly had anything to drink, but suddenly you feel really unwell? Alert your friends and the people around you and ask them for help. Have them call an ambulance. It makes sense to be taken to a hospital, where doctors can monitor you in case paralysis causes you to stop breathing and you need to be ventilated. For some spiking substances there is even an antidote. Unfortunately that isn’t the case for GHB, which makes medical monitoring all the more important. If you suspect that someone has spiked your drink, acting quickly is important. Spiking someone’s drink is grievous bodily harm and therefore a criminal offence. So even if no rape, robbery or similar has taken place in addition, you can report it to the police.

How do you help others who are under the influence of spiking substances?

If someone around you suddenly appears extremely drunk within a very short time, has to vomit or seems heavily dazed, you should take them to a safe place and not let them out of your sight. Call an ambulance on the local number (Austria: 144 | Germany: 112 | UK: 999 | EU: 112) and, if the person passes out or suddenly becomes drowsy, place them in the recovery position. If possible, keep the person’s drink as evidence. Contact the police if necessary.

Conclusion

Drink spiking can happen to anyone. Being mindful with drinks, looking out for each other among friends and recognising symptoms quickly all help to prevent attacks. Share this knowledge with others so that together we can reduce the danger of drink spiking.