Health Promotion Unit
Drug Rape
Facts and Tips
FACTS:
- The #1 drug used in drug-rape cases in Ireland is Alcohol.
- When drugs/alcohol have been used to facilitate rape, remember that the absence of a NO does not mean YES.
- Drug-rape drugs can be colourless, odourless and tasteless and can dissolve in seconds.
- If your drink has been spiked you may not notice the change, even in non-alcohol drinks, like a mineral.
- Sexual assault has happened to men as well as women. All precautions below apply equally to men.
Tips on your night out:
1. Make prior arrangements for your transport home.
2. Make sure someone knows where you are going and when you'll be home.
3. Avoid going places alone, friends can watch out for each other.
4. Be aware that alcohol does affect your actions and reactions, as well as your ability to stay alert. Take care.
5. Don't accept a drink from a stranger, but if someone you don't know very well is buying you a drink, accompany them to the bar and keep your eye on the drink as it exchanges hands.
6. Don't share or exchange drinks.
7. Don't leave a drink unattended, even to go to the toilet, and if you do don't take a chance. It could have been spiked.
8. If you feel strange after only one drink or two, seek help from a trusted friend, or a member of club or pub management.
9. If you're not comfortable with what's going on around you, do something about it. Tell your friends.
10. Just be aware and take care.
Rohypnol
Rohypnol, the trade name for flunitrazepam, and known also as 'roach', 'roofies', 'rope' and 'rophies', has been a concern for the last few years because of its abuse as a "date rape" drug. People may unknowingly be given the drug which, when mixed with alcohol, can incapacitate a victim and prevent them from resisting sexual assault. Also, Rohypnol may be lethal when mixed with alcohol and/or other depressants.
Rohypnol takes effect within 20 to 30 minutes of administration and lasts up to 8 hours. Rohypnol produces sedative-hypnotic effects including muscle relaxation and amnesia; it can also produce physical and psychological dependence. In Miami, one of the first sites of Rohypnol abuse, poison control centers report an increase in withdrawal seizures among people addicted to Rohypnol.
Always be aware of the danger that, whoever you are, someone may try to spike your drink.
Under no circumstances let a stranger offer to help you or take you anywhere- they could be a rapist.
It is alarming how many people have been taken back to their own home by their attacker and raped in their own bed.
G.H.B.
Since about 1990, GHB (gamma- hydroxybutyrate) has been abused in the U.S. and Europe for euphoric, sedative, and anabolic (body building) effects. As with Rohypnol and clonazepam, GHB has been associated with sexual assault in cities throughout the country.
The drug is commonly known on the streets as 'GBH' (grievous bodily harm), 'Fantasy', 'Liquid E' or 'Liquid X'. GHB is an anaesthetic drug with sedative properties. It is a central nervous system depressant. GHB is a colourless, odourless liquid with a salty taste and usually comes in small vials or bottles but has also been seen in powder and capsule form.
Coma, seizures and respiratory collapse can occur following abuse of GHB and, when combined with methamphetamine, there appears to be an increased risk of seizure. Combining use with other drugs such as alcohol can result in nausea and difficulty breathing. GHB may also produce withdrawal effects, including insomnia, anxiety, sweating, tremors, rapid or intense drowsiness and impairment of muscles and speech.
Advice
Advice if you feel you're a victim of a drug-assisted rape:
- The Rape Crisis Centre can offer you support (061-311511).
- Report the matter to the police (Henry Street Garda Station 061-212400). Try to be honest about any alcohol or drugs you may have taken as this will help in their investigation. The police will investigate the incidence, not anything else.
- Don't feel ashamed of what has happened. Your willingness to drink or take drugs does not amount to consent of a sexual attack.
- The alcohol/drugs can cause you to experience sexual stimulation and enjoyment of such acts. Where drugs/alcohol have been used to facilitate such acts, it is those that cause the response, not you.
- Try to piece together the facts; where were you when you were drugged? What is your last memory? Where were you when you first regained consciousness? Did anybody else see you during the night?
- Again, remember that the absence of a NO does not mean a YES, don't blame yourself.
- Your positive action can help others avoid similar experiences.
(Information supplied by Dept. of Justice)