Drug-facilitated Sexual Assault
What is drug-facilitated sexual assault?
Drug-facilitated sexual assault occurs when alcohol or drugs are used to compromise an individual's ability to consent to sexual activity. These substances make it easier for an individual to commit sexual assault because they lower inhibitions, reduce a person’s ability to resist, and can prevent them from remembering details of the assault. Drugs and alcohol can cause an individual to become incapacitated, which means they are unable to consent.
You may have heard the term “date rape drugs” to refer to substances that individuals use to commit sexual assault, such as “roofies.” Alcohol is the most common substance used to perpetrate drug-facilitated sexual assault. Drug-facilitated sexual assault can happen to anyone, by anyone, whether the individual is an intimate partner, stranger, or someone you’ve known for a while ().
How it happens
There are two main ways that drug-facilitated sexual assault occurs: 1) when an individual takes advantage of a someone’s voluntary use of drugs or alcohol and, 2) when an individual intentionally forces a victim to consume drugs or alcohol with or without their knowledge.
The type of drug-facilitated sexual assault you might think about first is the kind in which an individual slips a drug into someone’s drink. Though individuals have experienced this, for many young people, especially on college campuses, drug-facilitated sexual assault can take a variety of forms ().
Drug-facilitated sexual assault can look like:
- Intentionally giving someone drugs without their knowledge or consent.
- Coercing or pressuring someone beyond their comfort zone to ingest more drugs or alcohol or different substances than they are comfortable with.
- Engaging in sexual activity with someone who says they’ve had too much to drink, is having a negative drug experience, or displaying symptoms consistent with having too much to drink or being drugged.
- Refusing to tell someone what is in their drink or the type of dosage of drug they are ingesting.
These examples can result in a situation in which it is easier to manipulate the circumstances and commit an assault. Individuals use a variety of substances to incapacitate a victim ().
What are drugs that are used during drug-facilitated sexual assault?
There are many substances that can be used to incapacitate someone. Some of the more common substances include “party drugs” like Rohypnol and Ketamine. Individuals may also use prescription medications such as sleep aids, anxiety medication, muscle relaxers, and tranquilizers.
Alcohol is frequently used on its own or in combination with other substances and is the biggest risk factor for drug facilitated sexual assault. Involuntary drugging most frequently (though not exclusively) occurs in places where alcohol is prevalent, such as bars, clubs, and at parties (
What are side effects of being drugged?
If you have been drugged involuntarily, you may not know what substances you were given and how your body would react to them. Different individuals can have different reactions to the same substances, and side effects may depend on what else you ingested, whether you had eaten recently, or even your stress levels. Some physical symptoms that someone who has been drugged may experience include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Dizziness, disorientation and blurred vision
- Nausea or vomiting
- Loss of control over your body
- Passing out
- Waking up with no memories or missing memories from a prolonged period of time
- Feeling drunk when you’ve had little to no alcohol
- Sudden change in body temperature (hot and cold)
- Heart rate changes
If you are concerned about your experience of any of these symptoms, your health and safety is your first priority. Seek emergency medical care if needed. Testing may be able to detect drugs that are still in your system, but you can also consult with your doctor about other health concerns (
Preserving Evidence and Reporting Resources
If you suspect you were drugged, you can take steps to preserve the evidence for an investigation. Many of these drugs leave the body quickly, within 8 to 72 hours. However, receiving a SAFE can still be important to address health needs and to collect other forms of evidence. For assistance with making a report or preserving evidence, please contact our Reporting Resources. More information about preserving evidence can be found on the Support Resources page. For assistance receiving a SAFE, please contact Mercy Medical Center, Title IX, or the Sexual Violence Prevention, Education, and Response Coordinator.