These are the signs someone has been spiked

four years ago, Taylor Hansen I decided to go to a bar in town with a work colleague. She had just moved to Austin, Texas, so she thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know the city and get to know her colleagues better.

Hansen and her colleagues nursed a few drinks each during the evening. It was later.

“While my friend and I were waiting for our drinks to be made, some men started talking to us and asking strange questions,” he told The HuffPost.

The two returned to the table and Hansen texted her boyfriend to let him know that he would be home soon. But within 20-30 minutes of her wanting to drink again, she was completely unconscious.

Suspecting that she had been spiked, or that there was something seriously wrong with her new colleague, Hansen’s group acted quickly and called an ambulance to pick her up.

“Based on what I learned in the training, [emergency room] … I think I was medicated with GHB — or “liquid ecstasy” If only it was known,” Hansen said. “The next morning, one of his work friends messaged our group on his chat to see how we were doing. I went with him for his third drink that night.” I found out that my friend was also on drugs.”

Unfortunately, the bar didn’t have a camera near the drink station, so there was no way to identify who took the drug.

“I later looked at the pictures and videos we took that night and in one of them I could see men talking to friends and me at a bar, their backs to the camera. ‘ said Hansen. “The bar was then closed.”

Perhaps the most commonly heard date rape drug is Rohypnol, a remnant of 90s slang “roofie.” But recently, GHB and ketamine have become more commonly used in drug-assisted sexual assault cases, according to statewide training expert Maria Michonski. sexual assault center A service provider in Nashville, Tennessee.

“These two…are extremely incapacitating, are subtly easy to drop into drinks, and leave the bloodstream and body systems in a matter of hours, so they are often used. Post-attack testing is incredible.” Impossible,” Mikonsky told The Huffington Post.

But any drug that makes someone go crazy, dazed, or incapacitated can be used to rob someone. Kate Rowland.

“It’s also worth noting that people can become addicted to drugs that they intentionally take,” she said. Nonetheless, they may provide victims with pills claiming to be low doses of certain drugs.”

Many Experts Say It’s Alcohol The most common date rape drug.

“At least 50% of sexual assaults involve alcohol consumption by the perpetrator and/or victim,” Mikonsky said.

“We believe that date rape drugs alter a person’s integrity and physical/mental capacity, remove their ability to consent to sexual interaction and contact, and/or I see it as a substance that we use as a means or tool to commit sexual violence,” she said.

13% of all college students Have a history of rape or sexual assault By “physical force, violence, or incapacitation,” according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN).

According to Media Matters researcher Kat Abughazaleh, spikes in drinks are not uncommon.of twitter thread Last year, Abghazaleh, a Washington-area resident, recounted how she found something in her drink one night. It was difficult to… [her] Thoughts” and “massive headaches”.

“I just want people (especially women) to know that date-rape-drugs aren’t a rarity that only comes up at fraternities,” she wrote in the thread.

Unfortunately, date rape drugs are not always easily detectable (because they are too dissolved in drinks), so many victims find themselves drugged or assaulted until hours later. does not notice

With that in mind, the Huffington Post asked experts like Michonsky to describe some of the most common signs someone has been drugged without their consent.

Depending on the substance, Rowland says common symptoms of taking the drug include fatigue, dizziness, nausea, bloating, inebriation, disorientation, and nausea.

“In general, people who are loofy and medicated are fine and having a good time until the medicine takes effect,” she said. It’s bad and you’ll fall or stumble “drunk”. “

That’s a point the perpetrator is likely to “try to help. [the victim] ‘ or ‘Help them,’ said Rowland.

In many cases, these drugs can cause someone to become completely unconscious or quickly fall into a “state of unconsciousness,” Mikonsky said.

“Someone may appear to be conscious – they are awake, moving and even talking – but are so intoxicated with the substance that they are unaware of what is going on. They are unable to recall cognitively and are not functioning from a trusted mental space to make decisions or agree,” she said.

Mikonsky says it can cause blurry vision, narrow vision, and double vision.

“These drugs dull your hearing, making it harder for you to understand what’s going on around you or what’s being said,” she explained.

People often wake up feeling thirsty, extremely hungover, or vomiting. Professor Ralph Riviero, Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

“Often this is perceived as worse than normal after drinking,” he said.

Sometimes the only sign that you’ve been on drugs is to wake up and not remember how the night ended. You may only remember what happened.

“People who have taken drugs may have memory gaps, but they still feel that something is wrong,” Roland said. You may feel that you have had unsatisfactory intercourse.”

Signs of being drugged and sexually assaulted include pain when urinating, genital pain, and possible genital bruising or tenderness.

“You may notice fluids, such as lubricants and semen, around and out of the vagina and anus,” he said. clothing, especially undergarments, may be imperfectly undone or put back.

If you think you are on medication, there are things you can do during and after the incident to take care of yourself mentally and physically.

As soon as possible, tell someone you trust or bystanders that you think you have taken the medicine. That way, you can record everything you remember and receive medical care.

“Please share as much as you can, who you think did it, how you think you were drugged, how you feel, what your emergency contact numbers are,” she said.

Also, try saving the drink you were drinking. You may be tested to find out what drugs you took.

Stick with your group and don’t go anywhere with someone you don’t know. Never try to ‘get through’ without medical help. Keep the information to yourself, Mikonsky said.

“All other decisions regarding reporting can be made medically safe later and investigations can proceed once we are back to full consistency,” Mikonsky added.

Because a lot of date rape drugs leave the body quickly — Within 12-72 hours — It is important to act quickly. Get treatment in an emergency room, preferably an emergency room where a sexual assault nurse inspector performs a forensic examination, Riviero said.

“During that trial, potential forensic evidence is collected, packaged, and forwarded to a crime lab,” he said. , it’s worth taking the test and collecting the evidence.”

Blood and urine specimens can also be used to test for drugs and alcohol.

If you can’t go to the hospital right away, RAINN recommends save urine Store in a clean, sealable container in the refrigerator or freezer as soon as possible.

If you have been suffering for days, weeks, months, or even years after taking your medication, seek help. please. According to Riviero, almost everyone has hotlines and advocates who can offer advice on what to do, where to go, and offer emotional support.

Above all, don’t underestimate the stress and trauma of the experience.Recall that this happens all too commonly – to women and Men, and college students, but people of all ages, and that you are not alone responsible for the violence you have suffered.

Hansen, a woman who was drugged at an Austin bar, is still talking to a therapist to work through her trauma.

“Even if you think you’re vigilant and aware of your surroundings, it’s frightening how quickly you can unconsciously take medication,” she said.

“Ask for help if you need it,” she added. “It’s very offensive and frightening, and it can be really hard to handle the stress of an event like this alone.