Some information on this page might be triggering for survivors of sexual violence.
Please read with care.
Please read with care.
Alcohol or other drugs are involved in many sexual assault cases. However, even if you were drinking or using drugs consensually, the assault was NOT your fault. You are not to blame - only the offender is to blame for an assault. No one has the right to sexually or physically violate you at any time.
Alcohol is the most common drug used to facilitate sexual assault, but perpetrators also use other "street" drugs to make victims black out or become unable to resist. Not everyone is affected the same way by these drugged. It is difficult to predict the exact effects of any drug on a particular individual. The effects may vary depending on the drug used, the dose ingested, and whether the drug is mixed with alcohol or other drugs. Other factors that influence how a particular drug will affect you are your weight, gender, metabolism, and how soon you receive medical assistance. The effects of these drugs may last several hours and can result in coma or even death.
Alcohol is the most common drug used to facilitate sexual assault, but perpetrators also use other "street" drugs to make victims black out or become unable to resist. Not everyone is affected the same way by these drugged. It is difficult to predict the exact effects of any drug on a particular individual. The effects may vary depending on the drug used, the dose ingested, and whether the drug is mixed with alcohol or other drugs. Other factors that influence how a particular drug will affect you are your weight, gender, metabolism, and how soon you receive medical assistance. The effects of these drugs may last several hours and can result in coma or even death.
Symptoms of Being Drugged
- Feeling a lot more intoxicated than a previous response to the same amount of alcohol consumed
- Suddenly and unexpectedly feeling very drowsy or faint
- Suddenly vomiting soon after having a drink; feeling extreme nausea
- Waking up with a feeling of being very hung over or feeling "fuzzy" or disoriented
- Experiencing memory lapse and being unable to account for blocks of time
- Remembering taking a drink, but not being able to recall for what happened for a period of time afterwards
- Feeling as though someone had sex with you, but not being able to remember any or all of the incident
What to Do
If you think you may have been drugged, follow these steps:
- Get to a safe place
- Get HELP immediately
- Ask a trusted friend to stay with you and assist you in getting the help you need
- Call 911 and inform them you may have been drugged.
- They will perform an examination and urine collection at the hospital. Most "rape drugs" are metabolized very quickly by the body. The sooner you receive medical attention, the more likely it is that evidence can be found that will help you identify any substances used to drug you.
- If you think you have been sexually assaulted and are reporting the assault to law enforcement, you should have a sexual assault examination ("rape kit") performed.
- Preserve any potential physical evidence of the assault. Try not to shower, bathe, douche, eat, drink, wash your hands, or brush your teeth until after you have had a medical examination.
- Save all of the clothing you were wearing at the time of the assault. Place each item in a separate PAPER bag. Do not use plastic bags. Do not clean or disturb anything in the area where the assault occurred.
This video is provided by the University of Alberta:
