FAQ: What should I know about date rape drugs?

Date rape drugs are most commonly used to sexually assault a person. The drugs often have no color, smell, or taste and are easily added to drinks without the victim’s knowledge. These drugs usually cause a person to become physically helpless—they can hardly move and are not able to protect themselves from being hurt. They cannot remember anything that happened to them while they were under the effect of the drug. These drugs cause many other health problems that make a person very ill, and in some cases even cause death.

It’s hard to know whether a party, club, or concert you plan to attend will be dangerous. Drugs may not be at every party you go to, but you should still have a plan for keeping yourself and your friends safe no matter what. Here are some tips to help you protect yourself wherever you go:

• Don’t accept drinks from people you do not know or ones you just met.
• Only accept drinks from someone you know well and can trust (like your good friend). If possible, get drinks that are unopened and open them yourself.
• Watch your drink and keep it with you at all times, even when you go to the bathroom. If you didn’t watch it the whole time, get rid of it!
• Don’t share drinks with anyone.
• Don’t drink from punch bowls or other large, common, open containers. They may already have drugs in them.
• Don’t drink anything that tastes, looks, or smells strange. Sometimes, GHB tastes salty.
• Always go to a party, club, or concert with someone you trust, such as a friend or an older sibling. Have a non-drinking friend stay with you to make sure nothing happens.
• If you think that you or someone you know has been drugged and raped:
• Go to the police station or hospital right away!
• Get a urine (pee) test as soon as possible. The drugs leave your system quickly. Rohypnol leaves your body 72 hours after you take it. GHB leaves the body in 12 hours.
• Don’t urinate (pee) before getting help.
• Don’t douche, bathe, or change clothes before getting help. These things may give evidence of the rape.
• You also can call a crisis center or a hotline to talk with a counselor. One national hotline is the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE or 800-787-3224 (TDD). Feelings of shame, guilt, fear and shock are normal. It is important to get counseling from a trusted professional.
  

• Get It Straight: The facts about drugs, DEA, DOJ
• NIDA For Teens
• FreeVibe
• Partnership for a Drug Free America
• Sara’s Quest, NIDA, NIH, HHS

• National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI), SAMSHA, HHS
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIH, HHS
• Office of National Drug Control Policy, EOP
• ClubDrugs.org, NIDA, NIH, HHS
• Drugstory.org

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