50 Ways Teens Get Trouble

 
Home Teens & Parties Getting Drugged by Someone Else (Date Rape Drugs)
Getting Drugged by Someone Else (Date Rape Drugs) PDF Print E-mail
Sunday, 28 September 2008 21:32

In today's world, even if your teen is successful in choosing not to drink or use drugs, she runs a small but real risk of being drugged against her will. There are, unfortunately, people who use drugs, often called date rape drugs, as a means of rendering a person helpless to resist a sexual assault.

Date rape drugs are slipped into a person's drink while she's not looking. The drugs can quickly affect a person and if mixed with alcohol, can cause serious side effects. These drugs typically cause amnesia, or an inability to remember what happened while drugged. The most commonly used date rape drugs are:

  • GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid) is legal in the U. S. to treat a sleep problem called narcolepsy. It can cause relaxation, dizziness, drowsiness, difficulties with vision, and even seizures, unconsciousness, breathing difficulties, coma, and death.
  • Rohypnol is not legal in the United States but is used in European countries and in Mexico as a sleep medication and as an anesthetic for surgery. It causes sleepiness, muscle relaxation, difficulty with motor movements, visual problems, confusion, and even loss of consciousness.
  • Ketamine is used in the U. S. as an anesthetic for both animals and humans. It can cause a dream-like feeling, hallucinations, distorted perceptions, loss of coordination, numbness, slurred speech, seizures, and trouble breathing.
What To Do
Date rape drugs are used on both males and females, so all children should be made aware of how to protect themselves from becoming a victim. Most importantly, you need to tell your child that if he is drinking alcohol, this makes him more susceptible to getting drugged by someone else, since alcohol makes it harder to think clearly and evaluate a potentially dangerous situation. Alcohol can also intensify the effects of date rape drugs and cause dangerous side effects. In general, your child should know:
  • Not to accept drinks (soda, tea, bottled water, or alcoholic beverages) that have already been opened or are pre-poured by other people
  • If drinking from a can or bottle, she should open the container herself
  • Beverages should be kept in hand at all times, even when visiting the bathroom
  • Not to share drinks
  • Not to drink from punch bowls or other open containers (they may already have drugs in them)
  • Not to drink anything that tastes or smells strange
If your child believes she has been drugged or raped, it's important to go to the police station or hospital right away. Date rape drugs leave the system quickly, so the best chance of detecting it is immediately after there is a suspicion of being drugged. If rape has occurred, it's important that your child not bathe or change clothing prior to getting help, since there may be important evidence on the body or clothing that can be washed away.

Teens who have been involved in drugging against their will and/or date rape should talk to a professional counselor to work through the feelings of guilt, shame, shock, and fear that may be present following the event.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 April 2010 20:07 )
 
1 Vote

0 Comments

Add Comment

Related Blog Feed


[+]
  • Increase font size
  • Decrease font size
  • Default font size
  • default color
  • blue color
  • green color