Substance Abuse and Sexual Assault

Several substances have been associated with sexual assault on college campuses including:

Alcohol

Alcohol is the most common drug associated with rape. Alcohol has been related to decreased motor skills, inhibition, and black outs.

Rohyphol (Flunitrazepam)

• Street names: "Roofies," "R-2," "Rib," "Rope"
• Form: tasteless, colorless, odorless pill
• How used: dissolved in someone's drink
• Effects: similar in nature to valium but many times stronger; drowsiness, dizziness, respiratory distress, temporary amnesia, muscle relaxation, confusion, excitability, unconsciousness, and possibly death. Sedation occurse 20-30 minutes after administration and lasts for several hours. Inexpensive.
  
  

GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyrate)

• Street names: "Liquid ecstasy," "Liquid g"
• Form: odorless liquid with salty taste
• How used: poured in someone's drink
• Effects: sames as Rohypnol plus... shaking, headaches, seizures, coma, temporary paralysis, and possibly death

It is illegal to be in possession of the above drugs and involves the possibility of jail, including sexual assault charges and possibility of manslaughter.

Reducing the Risk of Drug-Related Sexual Assault

A number of precautions can be taken to reduce the risk of experiencing a drug-related sexual assault including:

1. Do not binge drink.
2. Do not leave beverages unattended.
3. Do not take drinks from large open containers, such as punch bowls.
4. At parties, do not accept unknown drugs or open container drinks from anyone.
5. At a party use the "Buddy System." Be alert to the behavior of friends. Anyone appearing unduly inebriated in relation to the amount of alcohol they have consumed.
6. Anyone who belives they have consumed a sedative-like substance should be driven to a hospital emergency room or should call 911 for an ambulance. Try to keep a sample of the beverage for analysis.

*Information provided by the Greater New Haven Sexual Assault Crisis Services.
Portions of this document were adapted from the Indiana Campus Sexual Assault Prevention (INSCAP) Project, the campus component of the Communities Against Rape Initiative (CARe).