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SBR (S&H): Date Rape Drugs

  
 
Papess
14:34 / 19.03.07
One of the hazzards of my job, is the looming threat of date rape drugs being administered without my knowledge. I used to drink at work and this caused a bit of trouble when identifying differences between drugged and drunk. So, for my own safety, since these drugs have become rampant, I don't drink at work anymore. It was a perk, but now it is just dangerous.

As the working conditions for sex workers is sub-standard, what usually happens to the drugged dancers, being mistaken for being drunk, they are asked to get dressed and go home. I have witnessed dancers being pushed out the door wearing very little clothing because she did not have the motor skills to get dressed.

When this happened, I compiled a list of the popular date rape drugs around and posted them in the club I was working at. It was taken down some time after, but I warn the other dancers of this danger because it is very dangerous, especially when you are just labeled a stupid drunk and are let out in such a vulnerable condition.

Often dancers tell me "Oh, I dont drink...", which certainly helps, but these drugs can be put in any drink. The chances of being thought of as a druggie or drunk greatly outweigh the possibility that a doorman or bar manager will think you are the victim of an cowardly assault.

Last night I was lucky. I was asked to leave, but managed to get in a cab and get home. Apparently, I had fallen off the stage, unable to control my motor skills. I have bruises all over me, but at least I wasn't raped, hurt, mugged or beaten, or worse. However, my whole family suffered because of that last night.

The first time this type of thing happened to me I was 21. I was mugged and left passed out in front of The Metro Toronto Police HQ, with my skirt hiked up around my waist, and not wearing any panties - as was the norm for me at the time. (The anti-panty thing, not the skirt hiking.) When I did manage to get home, my gf was angry with me. I had no idea what had happened to me, either. When I finally realised what could have possibly happened and what must have happened, it was still met with suspicion.

It would be great to talk about this as I am going to start intense campaigning for Date Rape Drug Awareness in strip clubs, and try to educate the women, the club owners and their staff about how to identify and deal with these extraordinary circumstances.
 
 
Our Lady Has Left the Building
14:41 / 19.03.07
Sorry to be dense, what does S&H mean?
 
 
Hallo, Paper Spaceboy
14:44 / 19.03.07
Sexuality & Health, innit?

Justrix - good to hear you're campaigning about this. Would you want to post that list of drugs you compiled? I'm aware of GHB and Rohypnol but beyond that...

It seems so strange that your workplace would show such disregard for its workers' safety. What do the other dancers think of the situation and how do they react to your warnings?
 
 
Lea-side
15:22 / 19.03.07
I had an experience of this and it was fucking terrifying. And it wasnt even myself that had been drugged! I was in New York with my girlfriend at a gig, when after only a couple of drinks, she suddenly felt very dizzy and sick. She couldnt see properly, could talk or move properly, and it came on really out of nowhere. I KNOW that she wasnt drunk, she has to drink a LOT more than what we had had (just a few rubbish american beers) before she gets tipsy. It was very frightening not just because we didnt know what the bloody hell was happening, but also because everybody who SHOULD be there to help, (promoters/bouncers/twats with clipboards) just assumed she was a silly drunk girl and wouldnt even call me a taxi, or even let me leave and re-enter the building to get one. Perhaps British doorstaff/barstaff are more used to worse-for-wear drinkers so are more sympathetic, but i was appaled by the attitude of these people. It was as if they though that whatever happened, it was her own stupid fault for being a drunken girl. Having said that, recent statements by British police implying that most date-rape cases are just pissed-up tarts making a fuss (my words, obviously, but that was the gist of it) are a worrying turn of events.
 
 
Leigh Monster loses its cool
15:57 / 19.03.07
Thank you for posting that, Justrix. It was something I hadn't even considered.
 
 
nighthawk
16:16 / 19.03.07
Having said that, recent statements by British police implying that most date-rape cases are just pissed-up tarts making a fuss (my words, obviously, but that was the gist of it) are a worrying turn of events.

There's already a thread about this over in Switchboard, but I think its worth pointing out that this really isn't what the police said. They claimed that the use of date-rape drugs like Rohypnol is less widespread than was previously thought. The notion that alcohol cannot play an equivalent role in rapes was added by various commentators in the media.
 
 
Papess
16:21 / 19.03.07
Sorry, Lady. I did mean Sex and Health.

Papers, sometimes Ketamine is used as a date rape drug or Ecstacy. I don't think they are as cost effective, however. Maybe K is a little cheaper. I am not certain about these things, as I don't do them.

I used the PDF at this site and translated it into French for francophones.

It seems so strange that your workplace would show such disregard for its workers' safety.

Sadly, I do agree with you about the disregard for the workers in the sex industry. It seems strange, but it is the norm. In some cases, cattle are treated better. I could go on and on about it, but I won't here. As Mr.Christmas points out with his story, his gf is dismissed as well, in a different setting. Stupid-drunk-girl-syndrome is the first and only assumption - which really sucks for you if you are a stupid drunk girl, because she still doesn't deserve to be violated. However, and this is probably the same for all bars, there are always a certain number of users in the crowd, so there is always that conclusion to jump to if the person isn't drinking.

What do the other dancers think of the situation and how do they react to your warnings?

This is always someone else's problem. It will never happen to them. - That is the usual attitude. Or, like the brit coppers, they take the same position. Some think I am making a big deal of this. One woman had told me that she would LOVE it if someone would drug her, as she does GHB for fun! And this woman is a paralegal by day. She made me want to cry. There is a huge difference between being aware of, and expecting a high to arrive because you've just ingested some...and being accosted suddenly by lack of motor skills, an inability to speak and/or defend yourself. Last night, I fell right off the stage. I could have really been hurt or worse.

Something to think about, but it may be one dancer drugging another. Women tend to let their guard down around each other.

Mr.Christmas, good thing you recognized it right away. Sorry to hear about the unhelpful staff, but that ignorance is half of the problem.
 
 
Papess
16:46 / 19.03.07
They claimed that the use of date-rape drugs like Rohypnol is less widespread than was previously thought.

Thank you for clarifying that, nighthawk. It is interesting, that it is downplayed in this manner, (even if it wasn't as crass as Joe's, erm...paraphrasing). The problem with date rape drugs is that they leave the system by the time one realises what has happened. A test may not reveal anything. I bet there are more reports on counts of Rohypnol since it can stay in the body for up to 72 hours.

OT: Lady, should I change the tag on the title? I don't want to be confusing anyone else.
 
 
Lea-side
09:07 / 20.03.07
Apologies. That was indeed a cack-handed bit of paraphrasing. However, whilst the Police werent saying exactly that, even that suggestion feels like a step backwards.
 
 
grant
15:31 / 20.03.07
Sometimes, these stories have a happy ending.


He said to Tatiana, "Let's go."

"You're date's over, mister," the bartender told him. "She's staying with us."
 
 
Closed for Business Time
15:37 / 20.03.07
Last Tuesday, Judge Bouliane sentenced Szlamnik, who had no prior criminal history, to one year in jail but suspended six months of that. Szlamnik entered jail voluntarily in January after agreeing to plead guilty to transporting and furnishing a narcotic rather than to a crime directly related to a planned sexual assault. He is due to be released in May.
- from the link above

Fucking typical that he got off with a narcs sentence instead of attempted sexual assault or, at least, something related to what the c### was more than likely tryng to do - namely drug and rape a woman.
 
 
Papess
16:20 / 20.03.07
That is an inspiring story, grant. Thank you. I wish someone would have noticed and intervened on my behalf, or indeed, the numerous other cases I have heard about and nothing could be done about until after the fact. Unfortunately, after the fact, there is very little that can be done.
 
 
Papess
16:24 / 20.03.07
Fucking typical that he got off with a narcs sentence instead of attempted sexual assault or, at least, something related to what the c### was more than likely tryng to do - namely drug and rape a woman.

I know of a few assault cases - some drug-facilitaed, some not - that because the victim fought back and no penetration actually took place, the greater charge of sexual assault was not considered.

So, I suppose that means, that as a woman, I should let the rape, or sexual assault take place and NOT fight back, because then justice might actually be served.
 
 
Closed for Business Time
16:53 / 20.03.07
So, I suppose that means, that as a woman, I should let the rape, or sexual assault take place and NOT fight back, because then justice might actually be served.

WTF? Sorry, Justrix, but I cannot see how you could read that into my post. Of course not! Of course anyone who's attacked by a sexual predator should fight back and hopefully succeed. My moan was how the c### didn't get sentenced for planned sexual assault. Call me naive, but from the article it seemed like a pretty clear-cut case.
 
 
Papess
17:12 / 20.03.07
WTF? Sorry, Justrix, but I cannot see how you could read that into my post.

Apologies for the misunderstanding, but I was reacting with I suppose, sarcasm, to the decisions of the police in the situations that I mentioned above. Similar to the low sentencing in the situation of Tatania K, (which you pointed out). My annoyance is not with you at all, but with those authorities that won't recognize sexual assault when the perpetrators intentions are intercepted. It is hard to prove, and in order to get the justice deserved, it seems like the courts are putting women in a catch 22 situation.
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
13:55 / 24.03.07
It's also worth driving home the point that the easiest thing to spike a drink with is, well, drink. I've known any number of people who've had their drinks spiked or admitted to spiking other people's drinks. In very boozy crowds, especially younger drinkers, if someone is on the wagon it's the norm to try and sneak enough vodka into their orange-juice to get them tiddly. This is often done simply as a prank, for the amusment of seeing a non-drinker get drunk, but it would have been very easy for these people to be predated whilst under the influence.

Obviously a person who has voluntarily chosen to go out and get wasted doesn't deserve to be assaulted either. Just making the point.
 
 
grant
13:29 / 28.03.07
But but but drunk women can consent!

Really!
 
 
Peach Pie
18:40 / 28.12.07
So, I suppose that means, that as a woman, I should let the rape, or sexual assault take place and NOT fight back, because then justice might actually be served.

As I understand it, that course of action will make justice less likely, even if you've already fought back.
 
 
All Acting Regiment
19:19 / 28.12.07
Try and get them to give away those bottle-toppers, too - don't know what they're called, but they're rubber and they put a grid on the bottle.
 
  
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