DATE RAPE DRUGS
Safety Tips for Women

Date rape drugs are oh so stealthy:

Sarah, a college freshman anxious to meet new friends, gladly accepted an invitation to a party. Too young to legally drink alcohol, she insisted on drinking soda instead. She drank a few sips then left it unattended while she danced, finishing it afterward. She can't remember anything after that.

She was the victim of a common crime: the spiking of a woman's drink with drugs as a prelude to rape – oftentimes gang rape. Some rapists will also drug a woman's boyfriend to get him out of the way.

The wide variety of drugs usually make you feel abnormally intoxicated, such as heaviness in limbs, nausea, dizziness, losing peripheral vision then consciousness, memory blackouts – and possibly death.

These odorless, tasteless drugs can be sprinkled into a woman's drink if she glances away for even a moment – or dripped from an eyedropper (even bartenders are often arrested).

• Don’t accept a drink from an open container or a stranger.
• Don’t leave your drink while dancing or playing pool.
• Don’t rely on a friend to watch your drink for you.
• Don’t think putting a napkin over your glass protects you from date rape drugs. Keep your glass in your hand at all times.

If you have any doubt, pour it out. And don't accept a cigarette – they, too, can be drugged.

The Match.com profile claimed Jeffrey Marsalis was a trauma surgeon and led to dates with at least 21 different women. Each of them blacked out during dinner and drinks, and woke up with Marsalis having sex with their inert bodies. 20 of the women had hazy memories of events, but one woman did call police. They found that Marsalis wasn’t a doctor. He was an unemployed paramedic and nursing-school dropout.

Natalee Holloway and Date Rape Drugs

In May 2005, Natalee Holloway, of Mountain Brook AL, was last seen in public leaving an Aruban bar with Dutch student Joran Van der Sloot and two brothers - Deepak and Satish Kalpoe - hours before she was due to go home.

In February 2008, hidden cameras showed Joran Van der Sloot admitting he was making out with Holloway on a beach when she began shaking and collapsed. He tried to revive her but thought she looked dead – and though he wasn't sure, he asked a friend to dump her body in the sea. A legal technicality disallowed the camera footage in court.

Van der Sloot was arrested in June 2010 in Peru for the murder of yet another young woman.

Van der Sloot had probably spiked Natalee Holloway’s drink with a date rape drug. That would explain why, when she “looked dead,” he wanted to dispose of her body rather than call for medical help – to hide his guilt.

While not “blaming the victim,” let’s learn lessons from the tragic loss of this precious young woman in order to help save other young women from date rape drugs. Ms. Holloway made a common mistake: drinking without a sober girlfriend nearby to protect her.

• Beware of guys drinking. Alcohol (especially) and drugs weakened 90 percent of women date rape victims. Eat plenty of food while limiting drinks to one or two per hour.
• Go to parties with girlfriends, watch out for each other, and leave together – not with a new beau. At least one of you should be the "Sober Sister" to safeguard the others.
• If you’re alone, don’t announce that you’re walking home. Have taxi money for a ride home. If you, your date, a girlfriend, or if you see any woman exhibit any of the above date rape drugs symptoms (or too much alcohol), get help immediately and call 911 for the police.

MORE Safety Tips for Women

For overall rape prevention strategies – both acquaintance and stranger – see Rape Escape Options - Overview and especially Ultimate Rape Prevention.

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