Woman intentionally 'spikes' her friends' drinks at a party to issue important PSA

Every time we are at a party or a bar, we are at risk of getting our drinks spiked by people who look to take advantage of intoxicated individuals. This is why, clubgoers and party people need to stay extra alert and keep an eye on their drinks all the time. But little did we know, that getting our drinks spiked is easier than we imagine. Shirah Benarde, (@shiraah on TikTok), filmed an interesting video to educate people about how easily their drinks could get spiked if they are not paying attention. Benarde is also the founder of drink spiking prevention products and co-founder of the NightCap company and has previously appeared on "Shark Tank" to acquire funding for the products she made. 

In her TikTok video, Benarde filmed herself attending a party with her friends where she decided to carry out a small social experiment. She got a few gummy worms and used them to mimic spiking her friends' drinks. Surprisingly enough, none of her friends caught on to her act and she was able to successfully drop bits of those candies into the drinks they were enjoying. In the first few frames, she informed people to be careful because they might get their drinks spiked by people they know and trust. She also refers to the recent P. Diddy scandal where the rapper was arrested for spiking drinks at his parties.

Benarde goes around dropping the candy bits into canned drinks and glasses of water too. At one point she pretends to ask a friend some questions and secretively drops a candy into his drink. She mentions that it's not only women who get roofied but men fall victim to it as well. She advises people to always watch their bartender while they are making their drinks. If something makes you feel uncomfortable, ask the bartender for an angel shot. An angel shot is a code word an individual can use at bars to alert the bartender if they feel bothered by someone or sense danger. In these situations, the bartender can get some help for the customer.

While chatting with Bored Panda, Benarde revealed how she came up with the idea. “I was brainstorming after a photoshoot with my photographer, Mike O’Malley,” she explained. “He suggested using candy. They had no clue when or where it happened. 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. NightCap has always provided fun solutions to a serious problem, and this approach truly embodies that. 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."

Some people felt that Benarde's experiment was a great initiative whereas others felt it wasn't the right thing to do. @deeteedee13420 commented, "I've had this happen to me. I blacked out and almost hurt someone really bad. I came to 18 hours later not having a single memory of what happened only people telling me what I did." @foxygirl1987luv wrote, "I've done this on hoco night. We had a private party with no alcohol and everyone was given one candy. Whoever could prove they didn't get spiked wins the game." @colin_j309 added, "How many bartenders look at you weird when you do that? I have a feeling you’ve been yelled at for spiking their drinks."

You can follow Shirah Benarde (@shiraah) on TikTok for more videos on lifestyle.