THE THREAT OF DATE RAPE DRUGS

Stories like these are relegated to the "dark side" of university life.
Something every student is aware of, but would like to pretend doesn't
exist - and that's when it becomes most dangerous. A classmate of mine at U
of T recently revealed to me that she had been slipped a date rape drug.

For the sake of the safety and awareness of other students, my friend
wanted to get her story out. A month ago she and some friends were
attending a party at a frat house on campus. After only a few sips of the
drink in her hand, she began to feel intoxicated, and friends say she was
staring off into nothingness. By the time the drink was finished, she was
completely "out of it."

"It was hard to move. I was dizzy, everything was whirling and I couldn't
focus my eyes at all." She collapsed. Thankfully, her friends were looking
out for her and got her out of the party and back to her dorm. But once she
was back home, one entire side of her body went fully numb. She was taken
to emergency where doctors deduced that she had been slipped a date rape drug.

My friend was fortunate - she got away from the party safely. But she has
had two seizures since the incident. Indeed, "seizure-like activity" is
listed as one of the many serious side effects of GHB, or Gamma-Hydroxy
Buterate - a popular date rape drug also referred to as liquid ecstasy.

Doctors told my friend it was likely GHB of Rohypnol (a.k.a. "roofies")
that was slipped into her drink. Such date rape drugs are all too common,
they're potent and potentially deadly.

Just One Purpose

Date rape drugs have a common purpose - to intoxicate, cause amnesia and
leave a girl vulnerable to sexual assault and rape. GHB has also been found
to cause enhanced sexual feelings, meaning that a girl under its influence
might reciprocate sexual advances not of her own free will. (Hey guys -
you've gotta be a big stud if you have to drug a girl to score with her.)

"Since it happened, I've been reading up on these (drugs)," said my friend.
"They are toxic!" GHB can even be made at home - all the necessary
ingredients can be found at a hardware store and recipes to make the drug
can be found on the Internet. Because the drugs can be homemade, each batch
is different and you can never be certain of the potency or the side effects.

Thankfully, my girlfriend had companions who recognized that something was
wrong and got her out of the party before something worse could happen. But
she is aware of the possibilities she faced and she's angry - angry because
someone would try to hurt her, but also angry because she followed all the
rules that are supposed to save a girl from a situation like this one.

"I never put my drink down, it didn't leave my hand." She believes that one
man at the party slipped the drugs into her glass when he spoke to her,
distracting her. "Literally, you have to walk around with your hand over
your glass now - you cannot take your eyes off it."

I don't know a young woman today - especially those into the party or club
scene - who hasn't heard adages such as: Don't leave your drink unattended,
don't accept an opened drink from anyone, and on and on. Such warnings have
become as ingrained in our collective minds as perennial favorites such as
"don't open the door to strangers" and "check the back seat of your car
before getting in." But I think ingrained warnings can be dangerous - they
have a tendency to take on an element of the impossible (oh sure, that sort
of thing happens - but not to me).

"I am the cliche," explained my friend. "It even happened at a frat party."

At the beginning of the school year, I was warned about date rape, about
drugs and assaults. But when it didn't happen and the fear passed, I forgot
about it. Until my friend shared her story. It's when we think these things
can only happen to other people that we tend to let our guard down. When
our guard is down, we're vulnerable.

Of course, no one wants to go through life constantly looking over her
shoulder, but I'd rather have everyone looking than to have to share
another story like this - one with the potential of a sinister ending.