Bystander intervention and violence prevention resources

Last revised: June 2, 2025

Bystander Intervention is an effective strategy to prevent violence. 

It involves playing an active role in your community by choosing to respond safely when you notice a potentially harmful situation.

On this page:

What to look out for

  • Catcalling (sexually suggestive, threatening, or harassing remarks)
  • A person being followed
  • Unwanted touching
  • Something being added to a drink (see information on drink spiking)
  • Emotional abuse
  • Bullying or harassment (offensive comments, jokes, or physical intimidation)
  • Physical violence (see information on violence prevention resources)
  • Signs of intoxication (learn about signs of intoxication and overdose in the free Party Safer training available 24/7 on Olearn.Ottawa.ca).

Learn more about Bystander Intervention Strategies (The 5 Ds) at Canada.ca:

  • Distract
  • Be Direct
  • Delegate
  • Delay
  • Non-verbal Disapproval

See, hear or experience something that feels wrong? Tell a trusted friend or family member and/or get help from security, venue or event staff.

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Drink spiking 

Drink spiking is adding alcohol and/or drugs to someone’s drink without their knowledge and consent to try to influence their behaviours or impair their judgment. The effects of drink spiking can last hours and may put people at risk for violence and other harms like theft and overdose. Some examples of substances associated with drink spiking are alcohol, GHB, flunitrazepam, zolpidem and ketamine.

How to know if a drink has been spiked

The drug(s) and/or extra alcohol in your drink could be colourless, odourless and tasteless. You might not be able to tell if your drink has been spiked.

Warning signs:

  • feeling dizzy or faint
  • feeling ill or sleepy
  • feeling drunk even if you've only had a little bit of alcohol to drink
  • passing out
  • confusion or memory loss

What to do if you think your drink is spiked

You know your body better than anyone. Trust your instincts. If you feel like your drink has been spiked, you can:

  • Ask someone you trust to help you get to a safe place.
  • Talk to the event or venue staff or security.
  • If you feel unwell, have been assaulted, or suspect you have been assaulted, go to the emergency department.
  • Ask your doctor or a medical clinic about testing for the presence of drugs and discuss sexual health and forensic services. Urine or blood tests can pick up traces of certain drugs up to 24 hours later.
  • Consider reporting the incident to the police if and when you are ready.

Keeping safer

Tips to reduce the risk of drink spiking:

  • Have your drink close to you and keep an eye on it.
  • Avoid sharing drinks.
  • Buy or pour your own drinks – people often have their drinks spiked by someone they know.
  • If someone you don’t know very well offers you a drink, go to the bar with them and watch the bartender pour your drink.
  • If you think your drink tastes weird, let someone know and pour it out.
  • Stay with trusted friends and keep an eye on each other’s drinks.
  • Consider drinking from bottled drinks or using a lid.

Support is available:

Substances Used for Drink Spiking

Substances used for drink spiking are often colorless, odorless, and tasteless, making them hard to notice. Alcohol, GHB, flunitrazepam, zolpidem and ketamine are examples of substances used to spike drinks. Drink spiking can put people at risk of harms such as violence, theft and overdose, especially if mixed with alcohol or other drugs.

Alcohol: Alcohol is a depressant substance found in beer, cider, wine and spirits. It can slow a person’s reaction time and impair judgment, cause drowsiness, dehydration and memory loss. Drink spiking can include adding extra alcohol to a beverage to influence a person’s behaviour. Too much alcohol can lead to alcohol poisoning. Learn more about alcohol.

GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate, sometimes called “G” or “liquid x”): GHB is a medication used to treat sleep disorders. It can cause drowsiness, impaired judgement, memory loss and confusion. It is usually a liquid, but is sometimes found in pill or powder form. The toxicity of unregulated GHB is unpredictable and may lead to slow or stopped breathing. Learn more about GHB.

Flunitrazepam (brand name “Rohypnol”, sometimes called “Roofies”): Flunitrazepam is a benzodiazepine that is not approved for medical use in Canada. It usually comes in pill form and can dissolve easily in liquids. It can cause memory loss, trouble controlling movements, and extreme sleepiness.

Zolpidem (brand name “Ambien”): Zolpidem is a prescription medicine used to help people sleep that usually comes in pill form. It can be crushed and dissolved in liquids and may cause, drowsiness, confusion and memory loss.

Ketamine (sometimes called “K”, “Vitamin K” or “Special K”): Ketamine is a pain medication used in medical or veterinary settings, where it is found in liquid form. Unregulated ketamine may be found in powder form and smoked, snorted, injected or mixed in liquid. Ketamine can make you feel sleepy, dizzy, confused or unable to speak, and may be unpredictable, especially if mixed with alcohol or other drugs.

What is a “K-hole”? Ketamine may cause dissociation sometimes referred to as a “K-hole” when a person’s mind feels separate from their body or disconnected from reality. They might feel like they are floating, losing track of time, and having vivid dreams or hallucinations. They can also have trouble breathing or even pass out.

Signs of alcohol or drug toxicity:

  • Does not respond to shake and shout/or unable to wake up
  • Slow, irregular or stopped breathing
  • Extreme confusion or hallucinations
  • Very fast or slow pulse
  • Lips and/or nails are blue or grey

If a person shows signs of alcohol or drug toxicity:

You can learn more about safer substance use tips by taking the no-cost Party Safer e-training available on Olearn. Sign up for Ottawa’s drug alert system and learn more about substance use health supports.

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Things to avoid:

  • Blaming: do not place blame on a person who has experienced violence because of the way they are dressed, or how much alcohol and/or drugs they have consumed.
  • Ignoring the incident: silence or walking away as if nothing has happened can communicate approval of the situation. If you are uncomfortable intervening, involve others or get help from security, venue or event staff.

Don't intervene if there is immediate danger: if you feel that getting involved would be unsafe for you or others involved, get help from security or other authority. Don’t physically intervene unless you are trained to do so (ex. security). Violence is never a solution and may make the situation worse. For life-threatening emergencies, call 9-1-1.

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What's helpful

  • Listen non-judgmentally and provide support
  • Respect the choices that the person who has experienced violence or harassment makes with regards to involving security, paramedics, and/or police
  • Offer to help them and provide examples of the services and resources available if they would like support

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Violence prevention resources

Looking for information on violence prevention and community resources? Visit OttawaPublicHealth.ca/ViolencePrevention.

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