Alcohol, sexual assault and harassment

Sexual assault and harassment are serious examples of the way alcohol can cause harm to people other than the person who is drinking. There is clear evidence that shows alcohol is linked to people who commit these offences – from verbal harassment¹ to the most serious sexual offences, including rape.²

There is also evidence that some of the offenders who commit sexual assaults target people who are vulnerable due to alcohol or drugs.³ Alcohol-related sexual harassment is also commonly reported in nightclubs, bars and pubs.⁴

Alcohol is never an excuse, and sexual assault and harassment are never acceptable.

This page examines the role of alcohol in contributing towards these behaviours, and what support is available if you encounter them.

The link between alcohol, sexual assault and harassment

If you've been sexually assaulted, or harassed, it's important to remember that it was not your fault.

Alcohol isn’t the cause of any sexual assaults or harassment – the people that commit the offences are. But alcohol is a linked risk factor in many cases:

• Almost four out of ten (39%) victims of rape or attempted rape in England and Wales believed the offender had been drinking. The same percentage (39%) reported being under the influence of alcohol themselves.⁵
• Almost one in 20 people in England say they experienced aggressive harm because of someone else’s drinking in the past year.⁶ Amongst this group, around one in seven said they felt pressurised into something sexual.⁷
• Almost three quarters (72%) of 18-24 year olds who drink in bars, clubs or pubs said in a survey that they had seen sexual harassment on a night out.⁸
• Just over a third of women (35%) and 9% of men have reported receiving unwanted sexual contact on a night out.⁹

There is also recent evidence of the growing role that drink spiking (adding alcohol or drugs to someone’s drink without their knowledge or consent) is playing in sexual assaults. One in nine women and one in 17 men in the UK say they have been the victim of drink spiking, while one in three women and one in five men say they know someone who has been a victim of drink spiking.¹⁰ 

Spiking a drink - whether with extra alcohol or another substance – is a serious crime, carrying a maximum 10 year jail sentence in the UK.¹¹
Find out more about drink spiking

And while alcohol-related sexual harassment are commonly reported in nightclubs, bars and pubs,¹² alcohol-related sexual offences don’t only happen on nights out.

Studies show that there is a clear link between alcohol use and intimate partner violence (also sometimes known as ‘domestic violence’) – which is any form or physical, sexual or psychological violence against a current or former partner. One study found that 30% of people who reported intimate partner violence reported that alcohol was involved.¹³

More broadly, drinking alcohol is linked to aggression¹⁴ and loss of inhibition because of the way it affects the brain.¹⁵ You can find out more about why here:

• Alcohol and the brain
• Alcohol and aggression

What’s considered as sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment includes behaviour such as persistently staring at someone, cornering, isolating or following someone, or making obscene gestures or remarks. It can also be verbal abuse, persistent pestering, taking photographs without permission, unwanted attempts to kiss someone, or leering.

While some of these types of harassment are already considered criminal offences, the government in England and Wales is currently (April 2023) bringing forward a new law to make public sexual harassment a specific offence.¹⁶

Making unwanted physical contact by intentionally touching someone in a sexual way, such as groping, or intentionally exposing the genitals with the intention of causing alarm or distress are already all sexual offences in the UK. These types of crimes can be punished by up to 10 years in jail.^17,18,19

If it’s behaviour that isn’t acceptable, it doesn’t become acceptable if someone, either the perpetrator or the victim, is under the influence of alcohol. This isn’t just true for the types of harassment or assault which break the law - no one’s evening out should be ruined because of intrusive or inappropriate behaviour.

The importance of consent

Consent is when a person agrees to something by choice and has both the freedom and mental capacity (meaning they are aware of, and understand what is happening) to make a choice. For example, if someone is incapacitated through alcohol (or drugs), they aren’t capable of giving consent.²⁰

But this isn’t widely understood. A 2019 study by sexual health charity Brook found only 52 per cent of university students knew it isn’t possible to give consent while incapacitated by alcohol.²¹ Worryingly, a survey by the End Violence Against Women Coalition found that one in 10 people think it isn’t rape if a man has sex with a woman who is very drunk or asleep, or they’re not sure if it is.²²

What to do if you’re the victim of sexual assault or harassment

If you have been sexually assaulted it’s important to remember it’s not your fault.

Sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) are provided by the NHS throughout the UK. They can provide medical, practical and emotional support, and help you report it to the police, if you choose to:

• Sexual assault referral centres in England
• Sexual assault referral centres in Scotland
• Sexual assault referral centres in Wales
• Sexual assault referral centres in Northern Ireland

SARCs are there to help and provide you with choices every step of the way.

Call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger, or if it’s not an emergency you can report a crime by calling 101 or reporting it to the police online.

If you or someone you know have been affected by sexual harassment or any sort of sexual harm, free and confidential help and support are available for victims and witnesses:

• England and Wales: Call 08081 689 111 or go to Victim Support's website.
• Scotland – call 03330 341 078 or go to victimsupport.scot
• Northern Ireland – call 02890 243 133 or go to victimsupportni.com

Helping someone else

• If you are worried about someone else on a night out, you can make a difference by asking if they're OK, rather than directly confronting the person whose behaviour is unacceptable. This can defuse the situation.
• If they say they need help, you could invite them to join your group, offer to walk them to a different area of the venue, or ask if they'd like you to contact a friend, venue staff, first aid or security.
• Never put your own safety at risk. If a situation looks like it’s getting out of hand then telling a member of security staff will be more effective and safe.
• If you’ve been drinking alcohol, remember your inhibitions may be lowered too - so be mindful of that before intervening. You could ask a friend for a second opinion.

Venues that sell alcohol have a responsibility to keep people safe from assault and harassment. The conditions of licenses to sell alcohol include a legal duty for public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder on the licensed premises, which is monitored by the local authority.^23,24 

These licenses to sell alcohol usually include conditions relating to things like ensuring that appropriate security and staff training are in place. By reporting any incidents, you can play a part in making these safe spaces for everyone.