Dear Straight Talk: Your columns on date rape drugs have really got me going. I have two wonderful sons in middle school and I cannot fathom what type of young man would resort to drugging a young woman’s drink in order to take advantage of her sexually. What is going on here? Has society shrunk this low or are these isolated cases?—Appalled in Newcastle
Dear Appalled: According to high school teens, one in three large parties involve drinks spiked with drugs. In college, it is worse. The phenomenon has increased in the last few years probably due to the ease of making the drugs, and because the amnesia effects of some of the drugs make it difficult for victims to testify. This is why a doctor’s exam and early urine test are essential, not only to protect yourself, but to prove the existence of the drug. (GHB leaves the body within 12 hours. If you think you were drugged collect a sample of your first urine for testing.)
GHB—gamma hydroxyl butyrate—is known for its amnesia effects and is easy and inexpensive to make. There are about 80 nicknames for GHB, including “G” and “Easy Lay”.
For a profile of the type of guy who would spike a girl’s drink, read on.
From Jeff, 22: The guy who spikes drinks with “G”—or any drug—is the same type of guy who beats a woman, who treats a woman as an object. He wants his way with her and doesn’t give an f— about her, or what the drug might do to her.
These drugs can possibly kill her. GHB is essentially a degreaser/floor stripper mixed with drain cleaner. It’s easy to make on the cheap with non-traceable ingredients, or you can buy it pre-made over the internet as it is sold to treat sleep disorders.
With drinks being spiked at parties, there’s no control over the dose or how much alcohol the girl has consumed before she receives the drug. It’s a very dangerous situation. If someone passes out, get them to a hospital immediately. There’s a myth going around with GHB that you’ll sleep it off, but it is absolute foolishness to risk this.
I think date rape drugs have attracted another type of guy, too, the type who sees it as impossible to get laid otherwise. Our society has made guys so under-confident that they don’t see themselves in an attractive light. They’ve been hurt to the point that they’re scared of women. For them, these drugs are a way to get what they want without having to do the personal work.
For additional information about date rape drugs, go to www.projectghb.org.
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