Home -> Help For Survivors -> Helpful Lists -> Date Rape Drug Pamphlets Date Rape Drugs Pamphlets Rohypnol (Roofies, Rope, Ruffies, R2, Ruffles, Roche, Forget-pill) Rohypnol is a potent tranquilizer that produces a sedative effect, amnesia, muscle relaxation, and slowing of the psychomotor response. There is no accepted medical use for Rohypnol in the US at this time. It is odorless and tasteless. Sometimes it bubbles when it dissolves and discolors drinks, but sometimes it dissolves without traces. It takes effect approximately 10-20 minutes after ingestion. Rohypnol can be added to any liquid (effect lasting 2-8 hours) but when added to alcohol it reduces inhibition and creates amnesia (effect lasting 8-24 hours) Rohypnol can be detected in the blood for 24 hours and in the urine for 48 hours. Some individuals use Rohypnol as an alcohol extender for a rapid and dramatic high. This is something to watch for in social settings if individuals seem extremely intoxicated after consuming only a small amount of alcohol.
GHB is an odorless, colorless liquid depressant with anesthetic qualities. It can also be used as a sodium salt in powder or tablet form commonly dissolved in water. This drug gives a feeling of relaxation, tranquility and loss of social inhabitions. The drug takes effect 10-15 minutes after ingestion and lasts 2-3 hours unless combined with alcohol, where effects may last 20-30 hours. Large doses can induce sudden sleep within 5-10 minutes.
Ketamine is a drug that has been added to the predator drug category. It is a powerful anesthetic used in animal tranquilizer. It is available in liquid, powder or pill form. Ketamine is a psychedelic that causes paralysis, hallucinations, amnesia and dissociation (a feeling where the mind seems separate from the body). Depending on the form and dosage, Ketamine can take effect immediately and can incapacitate users for up to 12 hours.
Since most predators add these drugs to people’s drinks, watch your drink when socializing and casually keep it covered with your hand. Avoid drinking anything out of a shared punch bowl. Watch a bartender mix your drink. Help your friends stay safe, especially if they seem more intoxicated than their consumption would warrant. Make agreements with your friends to check in with each other during and after social events to ensure everyone is safe. Stick together! Avoid accepting a drink from someone you don’t know. If you need to leave the table, take your drink with you. What to do if you think you’ve been drugged and raped GET SAFE. Call a friend, family member or rape crisis center to help you. This is not the time to be alone. You deserve emotional support and help in handling this crisis. GET MEDICAL ATTENTION. Do not shower or clean yourself before going to a hospital or clinic or school health center. Instead, seek medical attention to be examined. Tell them you think you may have been drugged. They will test your blood and urine, evaluate you for injuries (you may have internal injuries that you are not aware of), and treat you for possible sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. If you decide to press charges, physical specimens collected soon after the rape will be valuable evidence. REPORT THE ATTACK. Report the attack to police and university or college officials, regardless of whether you plan to file charges. (Reporting a rape does not commit you to filing charges. You can make that decision later.) Have someone go with you, if possible. FILING CHARGES. Consider whether you want to file charges with the police and with campus authorities if the rapist is a student. Ask for the help of a victim advocate in the police department, the State Attorney’s Office or from the rape crisis center. She can help you understand the investigation and get you help from the Victim Compensation Fund for crime-related expenses. GET HELP AND SUPPORT, SUCH AS COUNSELING. Call a rape crisis hotline and seek crisis-intervention counseling or therapy. Free individual or group counseling is available in most areas. Your school counseling center, student health center or local health department also may be of help. Whether you are seeking help for something that happened recently or a long time ago, you have been through a profound trauma and deserve help to deal with the situation and with your feelings. Finding Help 1-888-956-RAPE for information and phone numbers for your nearest rape crisis program. www.fcasv.org website with information for the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence. The illegal drug scene as a whole isn’t a new concept on college campuses, at fraternity parties, and in bars and nightclubs across the country. But the types of drugs and our awareness and usage of these drugs are in constant change -- experimentation cannot be taken lightly. Many of the new synthetic drugs being offered can have irreversible damage for even one-time users. One way these drugs are used is to drop them into drinks of unsuspecting people. This has lasting effects, too, because many times the victims suffer blackout and cannot recall events of the past several hours. We refer to these drugs as “predator drugs” for a reason. Predator drugs are used with the intent to relax or even sedate victims who are unable to give consent or defend themselves. Both men and women can be subjected to these crimes, although most victims are women. BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY. STAY SAFE BY BEING OBSERVANT AND WATCH YOUR DRINK. It’s a serious crime to drug someone without consent and it’s a serious crime to have sex with someone who cannot give consent. The crime of a drug-facilitated rape can be prosecuted. RAPE IS A CRIME. ALWAYS.
WHY GO TO A RAVE? Music. Rhythm. Dance. Community. New friends. Fun. Spiritual connection. People who go to raves say the all-night dancing relieves their stress and produces a sense of euphoria. They feel connected to other ravers. Some people don’t use drugs at raves. They get high from dancing, the music and the scene. Other people use drugs to enhance the feelings they seek at a rave. But rave or club drugs can produce unexpected, unwanted effects. To avoid surprises, you need some basic information. Then you can decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks -- or vice versa.
You can buy kits for testing the contents of club drugs. Sometimes tests are offered at raves. Some of these tests are reliable, and can tell you if certain drugs are present. But even reliable tests can’t tell you: The dose you’re getting.
You don’t know what you’re getting. Many club drugs can be made by just about anyone. There are many recipes. There’s no way to be sure of the contents or what dosage you’re getting. A club drug may include other drugs that are much more dangerous than the drug you’re supposedly getting. Pills described as Ecstasy sometimes contain DXM, speed, cocaine, PMA and other “unadvertised” ingredients. There have been deaths from PMA in pills sold as Ecstasy.
A drug’s effect can be unpredictable. It depends on the person using it and the setting. You can’t use someone else’s experience to predict how you will react. And you can’t count on having the same reaction every time you use. Very few studies have been done on the effects of these drugs. KNOW THE RISKS SHORT-TERM RISKS UNWANTED EFFECTS. You may get the feelings you’re after -- euphoria or vivid or pleasant hallucinations. But you may also feel anxious, confused, panicky or enraged. FEELING SICK. Effects may include nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and loss of muscle control. DANGEROUS PHYSICAL CHANGES. Club drugs can cause dangerous changes in heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and consciousness. This usually happens when the dose is too high. And you often don’t know how big of a dose you’re getting. SEXUAL ASSAULT. Some club drugs are linked to a greater risk of sexual assault and date rape. HEATSTROKE. Some drugs increase body temperature. Some prevent sweating. Combined with dancing hard and a warm room filled with bodies, this can lead to heatstroke.
FEELING “OUT OF IT.” Changes in memory, sleep patterns, mood and senses may persist for days after using a drug. PERMANENT DAMAGE. Some club drugs cause long-term or even irreversible changes in your perceptions, mood, memory and thinking ability. EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS. Some club drugs can trigger or contribute to depression, anxiety disorders, paranoia and schizophrenia-like symptoms.
It’s illegal to possess or sell almost all club drugs. Using drugs may put you at higher risk of other illegal activity, such as driving under the influence or sexual assault. TO USE OR NOT TO USE? IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE: BE INFORMED. Know the risks. Decide how you feel about risks BEFORE you need to make a decision about using. AVOID MIXING DRUGS. Some combinations of club drugs are much more dangerous than any drug alone. AVOID MIXING DRUGS WITH ALCOHOL OR MARIJUANA. It greatly increases the risk of serious problems. GO WITH SOMEONE YOU TRUST. Have someone who won’t be using drugs look after you. AVOID DRIVING. Don’t do any activity that requires attention and good coordination. KNOW THAT YOUR RISK IS GREATER if you are prone to depression or other emotional difficulties, are pregnant, or have health concerns such as heart problems, asthma, etc. PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HEATSTROKE. HOW TO SAY NO. SOME GOOD WAYS TO TURN DOWN AN OFFER: “Thanks, but I’ve got a big test (game, performance, meeting, etc.) tomorrow.” “I’ve got a great buzz right now. I really don’t need any more.” “I’m driving tonight, so I’m staying straight.” “No.” HEATSTROKE AT RAVES HEATSTROKE IS A COMMON CAUSE OF ILLNESS AT RAVES. People have even died from it. HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: Drink plenty of water throughout the night. Take breaks from dancing in a cooler spot. Some raves provide “cooling off” areas. SIGNS OF HEATSTROKE: Skin will feel very hot and dry. The person will probably collapse. IF SOMEONE SUFFERS FROM HEATSTROKE: Call 9-1-1. Cool the person off as quickly as possible. Douse with water. Move the person to a cool room.
The National Clearinghouse for
Alcohol and Drug Information The National Institutes of Health
“Club Drug” Site Dancesafe (a harm-reduction group
focused on raves) |