Businesswoman Peach Piche was horrified when she received the news that her daughter’s drink had been spiked, so she decided to innovate a tool to prevent it from ever happening to other young women.
Durban, South Africa (10 March 2021) – Businesswoman Peach Piche was devastated that her daughter was spiked while out with friends but thankful she had people around her who did everything to care for her. The traumatic ordeal took months for her daughter to get over but during that time, Peach innovated a tool to prevent it from ever happening again.
Peach’s daughter Skyla went out for dinner with two friends in November last year. Her friend offered to be the designated driver, so Skyla and her other friend Lexi ordered a cocktail. Once Lexi tasted her cocktail, she commented on its funny taste, so Skyla offered to swap.
Skyla drank half the cocktail and didn’t like it either. She pushed it aside and ordered water instead. She started to feel drunk but not out of control, so she ordered more water. As their dinner went on, she felt more and more intoxicated, and her friends kept getting her more water.
When they turned to look at the cocktail, it had been taken away from the table. It was at this point Skyla’s friends decided to take her home. Lexi stayed with Skyla because she was worried by how odd her behaviour was. A few hours into the night, Lexi looked over at Skyla and started to panic. Skyla’s eyes had become bloodshot, and as she got up to look, she passed out and hit her head.
Lexi quickly roused Skyla and got her into the car to get medical attention. When they did blood tests, it was discovered that the drink, which was intended for Lexi, was heavily spiked with cocaine and the date rape drug. Had Skyla drunk the entire cocktail, she would have been in a far worse and life-threatening condition.
They suspect the drink was spiked by someone Lexi knew and when they realised Skyla was drinking it, they removed it from the table to remove the evidence.
It took her eyes two months to get back to their usual self. During this time, Peach came up with the idea of the “Drinkerbell”. She created the anti-spike tool as a way to deter drink spiking.
The tool is a scrunchie style drink cover that has a hole for a straw. It can be kept around your wrist or in your hair before heading out for the night.
Drinkerbell features
- Liquid Resistant Lining: All Drinkerbells have a water-resistant lining that prevents anybody from trying to put a liquid-based drug into your drink through the cover.
- 3 in 1 and Eco-friendly: When you purchase a Drinkerbell, you are getting 3 products in 1. Drinkerbell drink cover, a silicone re-usable straw (eco-friendly) and all this fits snuggly into a pretty scrunchie for your hair or wrist.
- It fits a variety of glass sizes and styles: Drinkerbell is manufactured in such a way that it will fit almost any size or style of glass.
Peach is using the tool to raise awareness and debunk myths about drink spiking. Specifically trying to shift victim-blaming.
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If you would like to share your own spiking story or purchase a “Drinkerbell”, you can do so via the website here. The best part is that a portion of the funds will be donated to the Jes Foord Foundation. The Jes Foord Foundation funds counselling for victims of rape and the resultant trauma.
The Drinkerbell’s are made by women who have been taught to sew. Embocraft aims to provide communities and individuals with skills they can utilise to generate an income and improve their quality of life. The ladies have been taught to sew and are now proudly producing Drinkerbells, which is empowering them and helping them provide for their families.
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