Dropping drugs | by MADALYNE BIRD

She was just going to a couple of fraternity parties with some friends. It was supposed to be a fun night out, but it quickly escalated into something much more dangerous. She only had one drink that night, not enough to be intoxicated. As she approached the open bar at the fraternity house, the guy behind the counter asked her what she would like to drink. Placing her order she turned her back on the bar to talk to her friends. After she retrieved her drink she returned to the party, but soon after something didn’t feel right. She was beginning to feel too intoxicated for the amount of drinks she had consumed. That was when things became fuzzy. Now all she can recall from the remainder of the night is a boy taking her upstairs. Fortunately a friend found her before anything happened, but this is not always the case.

Prevention tips

Avoid drug facilitated sexual assault by these simple tips.

* Never set a drink down or leave it unattended at a party

* Never accept an open container from anyone

* Stay in groups and always have a friend know your location

“I believe I was drugged,” said a former STA student who wishes to remain anonymous. “I hadn’t had enough to drink to be drunk and I was belligerent after I was handed that drink at the bar.”

Generally known drugs used to facilitate sexual assaults are Rohypnol, Ketamine and GHB, but any kind of narcotic, muscle relaxant, or sleeping aid can be used, according to Community liaison Lisa Martin from the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA).

“Regardless of other date rape drugs, alcohol is by far the leading and most common date rape drug,” said Prevention Specialist Karen Schalker from National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Greater KC. “Alcohol is more commonly used because it is easily accessible and most people drink.”

Drugs and alcohol are used to subdue a victim, causing them to be unable to recall events, and lessen their ability to struggle against sexual assault.

However, detecting these drugs can be difficult.

“Some one can suspect that they have been drugged, but they don’t really know and medical professionals are not able to test for it,” Martin said. “Drugs can have an effect for three to six hours and [doctors] can only detect it for four hours after the person has been drugged. By this time the drugs are already beginning to move out of the blood stream at the time it is detected.”

According to an article in the Kansas City Star, one of the drugs that has been gaining national attention is gamma hydroxybutyrate. Commonly known as GHB, it is mostly recognized as a “date rape” drug, but it is also becoming more popular in the partying scene because it mimics the effects of intoxication. GHB looks similar to water and because it is odorless and colorless it can be nearly impossible to detect.

According to Project GHB, an online source that offers information about GHB addiction and abuse, GHB is a chemical that has become a main reason for drug-related comas in the United States.

“GHB categorizes as a central nervous depressant,” said Schalker. “It slows down the brain and body.”

Before November of 1990, it was being sold as a treatment for sleeping disorders. But as overdoses of GHB grew it was taken off store shelves. GHB is now illegal in the US.

“Sometimes people use GHB in conjunction with other drugs,” Martin said. “It causes an out of body experience for those who have ingested it.”

STA guidance counselor Amanda James says GHB is a very dangerous drug.

“According to the article in The Kansas City Star I read, GHB is very addictive and people easily develop a tolerance for it,” James said. “People die from this addiction.”

According to Project GHB, after the drug is taken it forces the brain to suppress feelings of self-consciousness and creates a ‘high’ feeling. Other effects of the drug are increased energy, muscle relaxation, desire to socialize, nausea, and loss of gag reflex.

“The morning after I woke up I felt really sore and had a horrible headache,” said the anonymous source. “It felt like I was really hungover.”

The dangerous side effects of this drug are largely attributed to the method in which it is often manufactured, at home using basic household cleaners.

“[GHB] is dangerous because it is not legal in the US and it is being manufactured by someone who does not know the dosage amount,” Martin said. “It could be too strong because of the lack of dosage amount and it could be made wrong or it could be toxic. Different people react differently because they do not know what they are ingesting and if they are allergic to it, it can be fatal.”

James also says that being unknowingly drugged can have serious damage to a person’s mental state.

“Girls who have been violated would experience symptoms similar to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” James said. “They would have flashbacks of what happened, difficulty concentrating during the day and in every day activities. They would also have a loss of trust in others, self-esteem issues and feelings of guilt, shame and embarrassment.”

As for the anonymous former STA student, she is much more careful when attending college parties and encourages other girls to do the same to avoid these threatening situations.