What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘roofies’?
If you or someone close to you has ever been to any parties, nightclubs, or bars there is a high likelihood that you know about or have encountered ‘roofies’ or ‘date rape drugs’.
Keeping yourself safe in a crowd is getting increasingly difficult with the easy access people with harmful intentions have to their substances.
Rohypnol more commonly known as roofies, is often used as a date rape drug. When ingested it can have the effect of sedating or calming someone making them indisposed to harm.
It can be covertly put into someone’s drink, making them feel lightheaded, weak confused, or even faint. This is exploitative because it can make the person vulnerable to exploitative and predatory behaviors.
This guide will help you navigate if you ever find yourself or someone you know in a similar situation on what to do and how to keep yourself safe.
Understanding the Drug and Its Effects
Rohypnol is a type of date rape drug that is very deceptive because it is typically undetectable due to its tasteless, odorless, and colorless nature. It makes the victim of this drug exposed to exploitative situations like being assaulted or robbed and more.
The effects of Rohnynol include dizziness/lightheadedness, brain fog, loss of memory, and even completely knocked out of consciousness. When it is ingested you can see the effect on your body fairly quickly. The symptoms can also last over several hours depending on the dose administered.
The predatory use of this substance is due to its effect on the memory. Roofies have a sedative effect which leads to amnesia making the victim unable to remember the events or recall what happened with them.
This aids in getting the person who administered the roofies to get away with their unethical and dangerous actions.
Symptoms of Being Roofied
Let’s discuss some of the signs you need to keep track of to recognize in time if you have been roofied to get help:
- Suddenly feeling disoriented or off balance
- Inability to focus or concentrate
- Inability to have a clear vision
- Loss of memory or Blackouts
- Not being able to stay up due to the feeling of unusual tiredness
- Difficulty talking or speaking clearly
- Not being able to maintain balance to walk, move, or stand
- Acting on impulse or taking risky actions
- Feeling sick or wanting to puke
- Losing consciousness or fainting
- Shortness of breath
How Roofies Are Used: Common Drugs and Methods of Administration
Not just Rohypnol but also GHB and Ketamine are all commonly used as date-rape drugs to incapacitate people in social settings where they are the most unprotected.
Can you think of some of the most common situations or places you are the most susceptible to these substances?
- The most common one is slipping roofies into someone’s drink, this can happen in crowded places like bars, parties, and nightclubs where the person can be easily distracted.
- Another situation would be leaving your drinks unattended and open, even if it is for a brief moment anyone at any point can slip something into the drinks. Always give your drink to someone you trust if you have to go somewhere or just get a new drink if you have left your previous one unattended for too long.
- In social gatherings where you don’t know the people personally try to avoid any kind of pre-mixed drinks like cocktails or juices. Someone can easily mix some substance in those drinks and they would be indetectable.
- Roofies can also be snuck into food that you could be eating at a social gathering, the same way as for drinks never leave your food unattended making you vulnerable.
- Other than these deceptive scenarios, roofies can be given in more nefarious or invasive ways like being forced to take a pill or directly being injected into someone’s body. To avoid these situations try to travel in groups to very crowded places so that it’s easier to protect yourself from these situations.
Being watchful in crowded places helps reduce the risk of being victimized by people with harmful intentions. Knowing about the ways someone can administer roofies will help you protect yourself better.
Psychological Impact of Being Roofied
Roofies don’t just physically violate a person, but they also impact a person deeply in their mental state. In the after-effects of being administered roofies the victims can develop mental health disorders. It can be very difficult to cope with the realization that they have been violated.
The emotional impact on the individual can also be very traumatizing and heavy as they come to terms with the reality of the situation. They might not even be able to recall all the details of the incident which can make it even more frustrating. They might have a negative emotional response like being ashamed of themselves, self-isolating, feeling confused and disoriented.
Relationship issues can start developing even with the people they used to feel secure with, they might also develop touch sensitivity or experience nightmares. This develops as they feel like their sense of security has been taken away.
The distress caused by the situation can have a long-term impact on the individual. It is therefore advised to seek mental health help if you or someone you know has been through the same situation.
Immediate Actions to Take
What are you supposed to do if you get Roofied?
If you ever are in a situation where you suspect yourself of being roofied Immediately inform someone close to you so they can help you. Roofies once in your system won’t take too long to show effect so acting as quickly as possible is crucial.
Steps you need to take:
- Call 911 and get medical help immediately, if you have someone trustworthy around you get them to take you to the nearest emergency room to get checked up.
- Never try to go to isolated areas, stay with people you trust till they get help. They will be able to help you stay safe and protect you from any further harm.
- Report the Incident by contacting the authorities immediately, and make sure to provide them with all the details you can remember so the culprit does not get away with it. All the details you provide will help them investigate the situation better.
- Be Aware Of All The Symptoms and Details, one of the effects of roofies is amnesia so trying to recall and repeat all the details will help you later. If you can write down or voice record all the details as you keep remembering them like the place, time, people around you, things you did before feeling the symptoms, and more.
- Call a Support Hotline, if you don’t have someone to support or talk to you. These helplines provide guidance on the steps you need to take and assist you with emotional and mental health support.
- Avoid Going Home Alone, if you are at a social gathering where you can’t rely on anyone to take you home stay there till you feel less vulnerable. Don’t travel to isolated places or take help from strangers to risk your safety further.
How to Stay Safe in Social Settings
Now that we have understood the impact of Roofies or Rohypnol it’s just as important to know how to keep yourself out of harm’s way. Let’s discuss some safety tips to help you stay safe:
- Always keep your drink in your sight whenever you are in a crowded setting. In case you want to leave your drink leave it with someone you trust, or get a new drink.
- There are drink covers also available in the market that you can use to protect your drink. It helps to keep your drink protected even if you get distracted, your drink can’t be easily hampered with if it has a cover.
- Whenever you are going out to a crowded place make sure your phone is fully functional and near you at all times. Keep your family, caretaker, or friends on speed dial in case of an emergency.
- Go out with your friends or people you can trust. They can help you in situations if you ever feel vulnerable or violated.
- Observe your surroundings, and be on the lookout to see if someone is causing any trouble or seems suspicious. In these situations trusting your instincts and removing yourself from the place you feel unsafe in is the best way to ensure your safety.
- Get your transportation sorted when going out so when you need to get back or in case you want to leave someplace early you can easily do it. It is important so you don’t have to depend on someone else to take you home.
Roofies and Drug-Facilitated Assualt
Roofies can be commonly seen being involved in cases of sexual assault because of their properties and how easily they can be used to make the victim indisposed to dangerous situations. It makes a person a very easy target for nefarious people who want to take advantage of the situation.
It is also difficult to detect and if someone isn’t aware of the symptoms they might not even realize before it’s too late because of the quick effect. This is the reason why it’s important to be aware of the symptoms and steps you need to take to protect yourself.
Rohypnol also causes amnesia or memory loss which makes it difficult to remember any details of what happened causing more distress in the victim. Even though it’s Illegal in the United States, it is still prevalent which is a concern for law enforcement due to its association with sexual assault cases.
Support and Resources for Victims of Drug-Facilitated Assault
- Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is the National Sexual Assault Hotline, where you can dial 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) to get emotional support, guidance and help related to the resources available.
- Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) to give assistance to violence and assault victims.
- You can even call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) which is the SAMHSA National Helpline for guidance related to support along with treatment for mental well-being and substance recovery.
- Support Groups in your locality can also be helpful to connect with people who have survived similar situations to help feel less isolated in your experience. Being with people who have similar experiences can help build resilience and strength.
- Getting therapeutic support to combat emotional distress and mental health disorders that could have been triggered like PTSD, Anxiety, and Depression is also crucial. Therapy and Counseling Services can help in maintaining your mental well-being and recovery.
- Getting in touch with Legal Assistance and Advocacy programs can help a person understand the process of reporting the crime and demanding justice.
Things to remember
Being watchful in crowded places helps reduce the risk of being victimized by people with harmful intentions. Knowing about the ways someone can administer roofies will help you protect yourself better.
Go out with your friends or people you can trust. They can help you in situations if you ever feel vulnerable or violated.
Any time you suspect of being roofied call for help and get medical help immediately, if you have someone trustworthy around you get them to take you to the nearest emergency room to get checked up.
If you or someone else you know need help call or reach out to the assigned authorities.