Date rape

REAL MEN CAN GET RAPED

Date rape drugs are very powerful and dangerous drugs that are often used to assist an offender in committing a sexual assault. These drugs are easily available and have serious consequences if ingested. Date rape drugs can be slipped into your drink or placed into food as these substances often have no colour, smell, or taste. These drugs can cause extreme weakness and confusion and may even leave the victim unconscious; these symptoms result in the lack of ability to refuse sex or defend yourself successfully. Both men and women can and do become victims of rape and sexual assault through the forced ingestion of these drugs. The following article will discuss the three most common date rape drugs used, as well as information on the effects of the drugs; what to look out for, how to protect yourself and what to do if you were drugged and raped.

The 3 most common date drugs are

• Rohypnol
• GHB
• Ketamine

These drugs are very powerful. They can affect you very quickly and without your knowing. The length of time that the effects last varies. It depends on how much of the drug is taken and if the drug is mixed with other drugs or alcohol. Alcohol makes the drugs even stronger and can cause serious health problems — even death.

Rohypnol (Roh’-HIP-nol’)

Rohypnol is one of the most common date rape drugs used. Rohypnol comes in a pill that dissolves in liquids. The pills may be ground up and crushed into a powder. These pills are small, round, and white.

The newer pills of rohypnol however, are oval and green-gray in colour. When slipped into a drink, a dye in these new pills makes clear liquids turn bright blue and dark drinks turn cloudy. This colour change might be hard to see in a dark drink, like coca-cola or dark beer, and in a dark room such as a night club or bar. The pills with no dye are unfortunately still available making rohypnol a first choice of drug for many offenders sly use.

The effects of Rohypnol can be felt within 30 minutes of being drugged and can last for several hours. If you are drugged, you may look and act like someone who is drunk. You might have trouble standing, your speech might be slurred or you might pass out.

Rohypnol can cause the following problems and symptoms to look out for include:

• Muscle relaxation or loss of muscle control
• Difficulty with motor movements
• Drunk feeling
• Problems with speech
• Nausea
• Can’t remember what happened while drugged
• Loss of consciousness (black out)
• Confusion
• Problems seeing
• Dizziness
• Sleepiness
• Lowered blood pressure
• Stomach problems
• Death

GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid)

GHB is short for Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid. GHB has a more than one form: it can come in a liquid form with no odour or colour, a white powder, and a pill. It may give your drink a slightly salty taste. Often it is mixed with a sweet drink, such as fruit juice that can mask the salty taste, once again leaving the victim helpless in knowing they are being drugged.

GHB takes effect in about 15 minutes and can last 3 or 4 hours. It is very potent: A very small amount can have a big effect. So it is very easy to overdose on GHB.

Most GHB is made by people in home or street “labs”, as a result you don’t know what’s in it or how it will affect you. GHB can cause the following:

• Relaxation
• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Problems seeing
• Loss of consciousness (black out)
• Seizures
• Can’t remember what happened while drugged
• Problems breathing
• Tremors
• Sweating
• Vomiting
• Slow heart rate
• Dream-like feeling
• Coma
• Death

Ketamine (KEET-uh-meen)

Ketamine comes as a liquid and/or in a white powder form. Ketamine is a very fast-acting drug. On this drug, you may be aware of what is happening to you, but you are unable to move, temporarily paralysed. Ketamine also causes memory problems; you might not be able to remember what happened while you were drugged.

Symptoms to look out for on Ketamine:

• Distorted perceptions of sight and sound
• Lost sense of time and identity
• Out of body experiences
• Dream-like feeling
• Feeling out of control
• Impaired motor function
• Problems breathing
• Convulsions
• Vomiting
• Memory problems
• Numbness
• Loss of coordination
• Aggressive or violent behaviour
• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Slurred speech

The above 3 drugs are also known as “club drugs” because they tend to be used at dance clubs, concerts, and raves.

The term “date rape” is widely used, but most experts prefer the term “drug-facilitated sexual assault.” The term “date rape” has been labelled as misleading due to the fact that the person who commits the crime might not be dating the victim, rather, it may be the perpetrator is an acquaintance or stranger. These drugs are also used to help people commit other crimes aside from sexual violence, including robbery and physical assault.

Is alcohol and other drugs “Date Rape” ?

Any drug that can affect judgment and behaviour can put a person at risk for unwanted or risky sexual activity. Alcohol is one such drug. In fact, alcohol is the drug most commonly used to help commit sexual assault. When a person drinks too much alcohol:

• It’s harder to think clearly.
• It’s harder to set limits and make good choices.
• It’s harder to tell when a situation could be dangerous.
• It’s harder to say “no” to sexual advances.
• It’s harder to fight back if a sexual assault occurs.
• It’s possible to blackout and to have memory loss.

The club drug “ecstasy” (MDMA) has been used to commit sexual assault. It can be slipped into someone’s drink without the person’s knowledge. Also, a person who willingly takes ecstasy is at greater risk of sexual assault. Ecstasy can make a person feel very loving towards others. It also can lower a person’s ability to give reasoned consent. Once under the drug’s influence, a person is less able to sense danger or to resist a sexual assault.

Even if a victim of sexual assault drank or willingly took drugs, IT IS NEVER THE VICTIME’S FAULT. The victim did not ask for it or cause it to happen.

How can I protect myself from being a “Date Rape” victim?

• Don’t accept drinks from other people.
• Open containers yourself.
• Keep your drink with you at all times, even when you go to the bathroom.
• Don’t share drinks.
• Don’t drink from punch bowls or other common, open containers. They may already have drugs in them.
• If someone offers to get you a drink from a bar or at a party, go with the person to order your drink. Watch the drink being poured and carry it yourself.
• Don’t drink anything that tastes or smells strange. Sometimes, GHB tastes salty.
• Have a nondrinking friend with you to make sure nothing happens.
• If you realize you left your drink unattended, don’t drink it, get yourself a new drink
• If you feel drunk and haven’t drunk any alcohol — or, if you feel like the effects of drinking alcohol are stronger than usual — get help right away.

Are there ways to tell if I might have been drugged and raped?

It is often hard to tell if it was oral and not anal. Most victims don’t remember being drugged or assaulted. The victim might not be aware of the attack until 8 or 12 hours after it occurred. These drugs also leave the body very quickly. Once a victim gets help, there might be no proof that drugs were involved in the attack. But there are some signs that you might have been drugged:

• You wake up feeling very hung over and disoriented or having no memory of a period of time.
• You feel drunk and haven’t drunk any alcohol — or, you feel like the effects of drinking alcohol are stronger than usual.
• You remember having a drink, but cannot recall anything after that.
• You find that your clothes are torn or not on right.
• You feel like you had sex, but you cannot remember it.

What should I do if I think I have been drugged and raped?

• Get medical care right away. Call emergency services or have a trusted friend take you to a hospital emergency room. Don’t go to the toilet, bathe, brush your teeth, wash your hands, change clothes, or eat or drink before you go. These things may give evidence of the rape. The hospital will use a rape kit to collect evidence.
• Call the police from the hospital. Tell the police exactly what you remember. Be honest about all your activities. Remember, nothing you did — including drinking alcohol or doing drugs — can justify rape.
• Ask the hospital to take a urine sample that can be used to test for date rape drugs. The drugs leave your system quickly. Rohypnol stays in the body for several hours, and can be detected in the urine up to 72 hours after taking it. GHB leaves the body in 12 hours. Don’t urinate before going to the hospital.
• Don’t pick up or clean up where you think the assault might have occurred. There could be evidence left behind — such as on a drinking glass or bed sheets.
• Get counselling and treatment. Feelings of shame, guilt, fear, and shock are normal. A counsellor can help you work through these emotions and begin the healing process. Calling a crisis centre or a hotline is a good place to start.

The above information was adapted for men from and based on information found at womenshealth.gov “Date Rape Drugs Fact Sheet”