Drink-spiking is seen by women as the biggest factor in a sexual assault, but it’s largely an urban myth according to a study.

Dr Adam Burgess, from the University of Kent, said that rumours of the frequent use of date-rape drugs means young women are underestimating the dangers of alcohol, which can reduce self-control and put them at risk of attack.

He said: ‘The reason why fear of drink-spiking has become widespread seems to be a mix of it being more convenient to guard against than the effects of alcohol itself and the fact that such stories are exotic – like a more adult version of “stranger danger”.




More than 200 students were interviewed for the study, published in the British Journal of Criminology.

The study revealed that women are often mistakenly linking blackouts and sickness with drink tampering, when over-indulgence in alcohol is more likely to be the case. And more than 75 per cent of them identified date-rape drugs as more likely than alcohol to lead to a sexual assault.

They also cited date-rape drugs as more significant a factor in an assault than walking at night in a high-crime area.

However, there is no evidence that rape victims are routinely drugged with substances such as rohypnol.

Dr Burgess added: There have hardly been any cases where it has been proved that sedatives such as rohypnol and GHB have been used in a rape incident. It is concerning that women are more concerned about something that is incredibly unlikely to happen to them.’