CLUB DRUGS
Cheap drunk or date rape drug?
By Ashley Golden
Senior Writer |
 |
Imagine waking up one morning after a night out on the town and not knowing
your own name, where you are or how you got there. You feel disoriented
nauseous and confused.
You struggle to remember what happened the night before but everything is a
blur. If this sounds familiar to you, then you have probably taken Rohypnol
or someone has slipped it to you without your knowledge.
Rohypnol, also know as "roofies, roaches, and R-2," is one of the fastest
growing club drugs in Texas. It was originally used to treat insomnia as a
sedative hypnotic and as a pre anesthetic.
However, high school and college students have found an alternative use for
the drug.
Users of Rohypnol claim that it is a "cheap drunk," because it feels the
same as being drunk but costs less than alcohol. Rohypnol can cost two to
three dollars and is taken orally in pill or liquid form.
The effects of the drug occur within 20 to 30 minute of ingestion. The drug
peaks in about two hours leaving the user feeling relaxed, drowsy and dizzy.
It also causes visual impairment, and can cause excitable or aggressive
behavior.
Rohypnol lowers blood pressure causing the user to pass out. That is why
this drug is ideal for rapist. It has earned the name, "the date rape drug,"
because in many rape cases, rohypnol is used to sedate the victims. Rapists
like this drug because it is odorless, colorless and tasteless.
The only time it has color is when it is mixed with a light color drink. The
drink turns blue. It does have a slight bitter taste, but when mixed with a
drink, it is hard to tell. Therefore, anyone could put it in your drink,
when you are out in a club or in a restaurant, and you would never know
until the next day.
To be on the safe side, Lt. David Young, head of the narcotics division in
the Lufkin Police Department, recommends that you keep your drink near you
with your hand over the top of the glass.
"Never leave your drink unattended to go to the rest room or dance, because
when you get back, you have no way of knowing whether or not someone put
something in it. If you have a suspicion that something has been put in your
drink, check for chunky pieces in your drink or see if it tastes bitter,"
said Lt. Young.
He also had advice for those who think they may have been sexually assaulted
after being drugged with rohypnol. He said, "Keep as much physical evidence
as possible. Do not shower or bathe and try not to urinate. Keep clothing
worn during the incident. Go to a safe place and call the police. Request a
urine test for rohypnol."
Users can become dependent on rohypnol, and must be tapered off the drug.
Dependents should never try to quit without medical assistance because of
the extreme withdrawal symptoms.
These symptoms include hallucinations, delirium, convulsions, shock and
cardiovascular collapse. Other less serious symptoms are headache, muscle
pain, anxiety, tension, restlessness, confusion and numbness or tingling of
extremities.
If you are ever out at a party or club and someone overdoses on
rohypnol, you should induce vomiting immediately and seek medial attention.
(Editor's Note: This is the second article in a series on club drugs.)
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