English: Lower your risk of a sexual assault:[11,142]

There are things you can do to reduce your chances of being sexually assaulted.
• Be aware of your surroundings — who’s out there and what’s going on.
• Walk with confidence. The more confident you look, the stronger you appear.
• Know your limits when it comes to using alcohol.
• Be assertive — don’t let anyone violate your space.
• Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable in your surroundings, leave.
Don’t prop open self-locking doors.
• Lock your door and your windows, even if you leave for just a few minutes.
• Watch your keys. Don’t lend them. Don’t leave them. Don’t lose them. And don’t put your name and address on the key ring.
• Watch out for unwanted visitors. Know who’s on the other side of the door before you open it.
• Be wary of isolated spots, like underground garages, offices after business hours, and apartment laundry rooms.
• Avoid walking or jogging alone, especially at night. Vary your route. Stay in well-traveled, well-lit areas.
• Have your key ready to use before you reach the door — home, car, or work.
• Park in well-lit areas and lock the car, even if you’ll only be gone a few minutes.
• Drive on well-traveled streets, with doors and windows locked.
• Never hitchhike or pick up a hitchhiker.
• Keep your car in good shape with plenty of gas in the tank.
• In case of car trouble, call for help on your cellular phone. If you don’t have a phone, put the hood up, lock the doors, and put a banner in the rear mirror that says, “Help. Call police.”

Help another who has been sexually assaulted, by the following:
• You can help someone who is abused or who has been assaulted by listening and offering comfort.
• Go with her or him to the police, the hospital, or to counseling.
• Reinforce the message that s/he is not at fault and that it is natural to feel angry and ashamed.

These are common date rape drugs that are sometimes used to assist a sexual assault. Sexual assault is any type of sexual activity that a person does not agree to. It can include touching that is not okay; putting something into the vagina; sexual intercourse; rape; and attempted rape.

They can be slipped into a persons drink when they are not looking. Most of these drugs have no color, smell, or taste, so a person can not tell if they are being drugged.  Commonly the drugs can make you become weak, confused , or even pass out, so that you are unable to refuse sex or defend yourself. If you are drugged, you might not remember what happened while you were drugged. Date rape drugs are used on both females and males.

The three most common date rape drugs are:
Rohypnol  is the trade name for flunitrazepam. Abuse of two similar drugs appears to have replaced Rohypnol abuse in some parts of the United States. These are:clonazepam also known as Klonopin in the U.S.and Rivotril in Mexico) and alprazolam also known as Xanax. Rohypnol has a variety of street names, I’ve listed just a few here:   Circles; Forget Pill; LA Rochas; Lunch Money; Mexican Valium; Mind Erasers; Poor Man's Quaalude; R-2; Rib; Roach; Roach-2; Roches; Roofies; Roopies; Rope; Rophies; Ruffies;  Trip-and-Fall, and, Whiteys.

GHB, which is short for gamma hydroxybutyric acid. GHB has some of the following street names:  Bedtime Scoop; Cherry Meth; Easy Lay; Energy Drink; G; Gamma 10; Georgia Home Boy; G-Juice; Gook; Goop;Great Chickens;Great Hormones;Great Loving; Grievous Bodily Harm;  Liquid E; Liquid Ecstasy; Liquid X;Peter Parker;  PM; Salt Water; Soap; Somatomax, and Vita-G.

Ketamine which is known on the streets as:  Black Hole; Bump; Cat Valium; Green; Jet; K; K-Hole; Kit Kat; Larmine; Lonnie K-Bar; Psychedelic Heroin; Purple; Rich Wicked Bar; Special K, and, Super Acid.

These drugs also are club drugs because they tend to be used at dance clubs, concerts, and raves. The term  - date rape - is widely used. But most experts prefer to use the term drug-facilitated sexual assault. These drugs also are used to help people commit other crimes, like robbery and physical assault. They are used on both men and women. The term date rape also can be misleading because the person who commits the crime might not be dating the victim. Rather, it could be an acquaintance or stranger.

The description of these drugs vary according to the manufacture, however, the common descriptions are:

Rohypnol which comes as a pill that dissolves in liquids. Some are small, round, and white. Newer pills are oval and green-gray in color. When slipped into a drink, a dye in these new pills makes clear liquids turn bright blue and dark drinks turn cloudy. But this color change might be hard to see in a dark drink, like cola or dark beer, or in a dark room. Also, the pills with no dye are still available. The pills are usually ground up into a powder, thereby making it wasier to slip into a persons drink.

GHB as liquid with no odor or color, and as a white powder or pill. Will give your drink a slightly salty taste. Bur mixing it with a sweet drink, such as fruit juice, can mask the salty taste.

Ketamine comes as a liquid and a white powder.

NOTE:  They can affect you very quickly and without your knowledge. The length of time the effects lasts varies. It really depends on how much of the drug is taken and if the drug is mixed with other drugs or even with alcohol. Alcohol makes the drugs even stronger and causes serious health problems  which can include death.

Rohypnol:  The effects of Rohypnol is usually felt within 30 minutes of being drugged and can last for several hours. If you are drugged, you might look and act like someone who is drunk. You might have trouble standing. Your speech might be slurred. Or you might pass out. Rohypnol can cause a multitude of health  problems:
• Can't remember what happened while drugged ;
• Confusion:
• Difficulty with motor movements;
• Dizziness;
• Drunk feeling;
• Loss of consciousness (black out);
• Lower blood pressure;
• Muscle relaxation or loss of muscle control;
• Nausea;
• Problems seeing;
• Problems talking;
• Sleepiness;
• Stomach problems, and, Death.

GHB:  GHB takes effect in about 15 minutes and can last 3 or 4 hours. It is very potent: A very small amount can have a big effect. So it's easy to overdose. Most GHB is made by people in home or street "labs." So, you don't know what's in it or how it will affect you. GHB can cause these problems:
• Can't remember what happened while drugged
• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Dream-like feeling
• Loss of consciousness (black out)
• Nausea
• Problems breathing
• Problems seeing
• Relaxation
• Seizures
• Slow heart rate
• Sweating
• Tremors
• Vomiting
• Coma and then Death

Ketamine is very fast-acting. You might be aware of what is happening to you, but unable to move. It causes memory problems. Later, you might not be able to remember what happened while you were drugged. Ketamine can cause these problems:
• Aggressive or violent behavior
• Convulsions
• Depression
• Distorted perceptions of sight and sound
• Dream-like feeling
• Feeling out of control
• High blood pressure
• Impaired movement
• Loss of coordination
• Lost sense of time and personal identity
• Memory problems
• Numbness
• Out of body  experiences  
• Problems breathing
• Slurred speech
• Vomiting

Most of these drugs and not legal, when used for criminal purposes. However some of these drugs are legal when lawfully used for medical purposes. But that doesn't mean they are safe. These drugs can hurt you. They should only be used under a doctor's care and order.

Rohypnol is NOT legal in the USA. Though it is legal in Europe and Mexico, where it is prescribed for sleep problems and to assist anesthesia before surgery. It is brought into the United States illegally.   Ketamine is legal in the USA for use as an anesthetic for humans and animals. It is mostly used on animals. Veterinary clinics are often robbed or burgled for their ketamine supplies.  GHB was made legal in the USA, in 2000,  to treat problems from narcolepsy (a sleep disorder). Distribution of GHB for this purpose is restricted, and supposed to be tightly controlled.

Even alcohol can be used to facilitate a sexual assault.  Any drug, alcohol, illegal, or legal,  that can affect judgment and behavior can put a person at risk for unwanted or risky sexual activity. Alcohol is just one such drug. The fact is that alcohol is the drug most commonly used to help commit sexual assault. When a person drinks too much alcohol, there are a few well known thing that occur, among them, it’s difficult to:
Fight back if a sexual assault occurs; say "no" to sexual advances; set limits and make good choices;  tell when a situation could be dangerous; think clearly, and tt's possible to just blackout and to have partial memory loss.

The club drug "ecstasy" (more commonly known as MDMA) has been used to commit rape. It is usually slipped into someone's drink without the person's knowledge. Also, a person who willingly takes ecstasy is at a fare greater risk of unwanted sexual activity. Ecstasy can make a person feel "lovey-dovey" towards others. It lowers a person's ability to give reasoned consent. Once under the drug's influence, a person is less able to sense danger or to resist a sexual assault. Even if a victim of sexual assault drank alcohol or willingly took drugs, the victim is NOT at fault for being assaulted. You cannot "ask for it" or cause it to happen.

Here are some protection tips, to prevent you from becoming a victim of unwanter sexual activity or even rape:
• Don't accept drinks from other people.
• Don't drink anything that tastes or smells strange. Sometimes, GHB tastes salty.
• Don't drink from punch bowls or other common, open containers. They may already have drugs in them.
• Don't share drinks.
• Have a non-drinking friend with you to make sure nothing happens.
• Keep your drink with you at all times, even when you go to  the bathroom.
• If someone offers to get you a drink from a bar or at a party, go with the person to order your drink. Watch the drink being poured and carry it yourself.
• If you feel drunk and haven't drunk any alcohol — or, if you feel like the effects of drinking alcohol are stronger than usual — get help right away.
• If you realize you left your drink unattended, pour it out.
• Open your own drinkyourself.

It is often hard to tell, if a person has been drugged and sexually assaulted. Most victims don't remember either being drugged or any sexual assault. The victim might not be aware of the attack until 10 or 24 hours after it occurred.  All of these drugs also leave the body very quickly. Once a victim gets help, there might be no proof that drugs were involved in the attack. But there are some signs that you might have been drugged:
• You feel drunk andbut  haven't drank any alcohol, or, you feel like the effects of drinking alcohol are more stronger than usual.
• You wake up feeling very hung over and disoriented or having no memory of a period of time.
• You remember having a drink, but cannot recall anything after that.
• You find that your clothes are torn or not on right.
• You feel like you had sex, but you cannot remember it.

If you think thatyou have been drugged and or raped, you need to do the following:
• Get medical care right away.
• Call 911 or have a trusted friend take you to a hospital emergency room.
• Don't urinate,
o douche, bathe,
o brush your teeth,
o wash your hands,
o change clothes,
o or eat
o or drink before you go.
These things may give evidence of the rape. The hospital will use a "rape kit" to collect evidence.

Call the police from the hospital. Tell them exactly what you remember. Be honest about all your activities. Remember, nothing you did - including drinking alcohol or doing drugs - can justify rape.

Ask the hospital to take a urine (pee) sample that can be used to test for date rape drugs. The drugs leave your system quickly. Rohypnol stays in the body for several hours, and can be detected in the urine up to 72 hours after taking it. GHB leaves the body in 12 hours. Don't urinate before going to the hospital.

Do not pick up or clean up where you think the assault might have occurred. There could be evidence left behind — such as on a drinking glass or bed sheets.

Get counseling and treatment. Feelings of shame, guilt, fear, and shock are normal. A counselor can help you work through these emotions and begin the healing process. Calling a crisis center or a hotline is a good place to start. One national hotline is the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE .

As always, stay safe!

Bird

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