Roofies are the thing we were all warned about in our high school health classes; they are one of the most important threats that we are always told to look out for. You're at a party with your friends, you put your drink down for even a second, you pick it up -
And then you wake up hours later, bruised and violated.
Every college student should know the basics: the scientific, the physical, the social and the preventative. Here's a collection of everything you need to know about Roofies.
The Scientific: What's in the Date Rape Drug?
Rohypnol is the trade name for Flunitrazepam, which is sold to treat severe insomnia or to be used as an anesthetic outside of the U.S.. Flunitrazepam is an agonist of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, meaning that it mimics its effects and slows neurons in the brain, helping you calm down and fall asleep. When a person is given Flunitrazepam, it basically acts as an extreme excess of GABA in your brain, inhibiting neuronal function and causing them to become dissociative.
According to Dr. Maria Gomez, Director of Psychology at American University, Flunitrazepam is exceptionally effective when used to commit sexual assault not only because it is a sedative, but also because it causes amnesia. "Flunitrazepam relaxes muscles and disorients someone who takes it, but it also effectively keeps them from remembering anything that happens once it begins to work," she said. "It makes it difficult or impossible to catch perpetrators."
Flunitrazepam is lipid soluble, meaning it is fast-acting and incredibly potent, so you don't have to finish a spiked drink in order for it to work. "lipid soluble drugs reach your brain more quickly than non-lipid solubles. This is the same reason why heroin works faster and more powerfully than morphine - heroin is lipid soluble, morphine is less so," adds Dr. Gomez.
The Physical: What to Look for and How You Know
Dissociation and disorientation are also also common first effects. Remember that Roofies act quickly - if someone is behaving like this, don't wait to see if they snap out of it. The effects of Flunitrazepam can last a full 12 hours, with a half-life of nearly 25 hours, so if someone has been drugged, they won't come around quickly.
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Roofies are odorless and tasteless, so it isn't as if your drink will taste off if it's been spiked. The first sign that a person has been drugged is if they seem excessively drunk. "If someone has had one beer, and are acting like they've had five, that's a warning sign," says Dr. Gomez. "Just knowing that, you should warn the bartender or get your friend away." Dissociation and disorientation are also also common first effects. Remember that Roofies act quickly - if someone is behaving like this, don't wait to see if they snap out of it. The effects of Flunitrazepam can last a full 12 hours, with a half-life of nearly 25 hours, so if someone has been drugged, they won't come around quickly.
The Social: Where are Roofies Used?
Roofies are easiest to use in the context of crowded places: Frat parties, clubs, bars and ragers are all likely settings, especially when there is little control over who gets in. But Roofies aren't just for parties - a cup of coffee or a soda can be spiked just as easily. Someone passing you a drink with unknown origins is never safe, even if you've seen them sip out of it. Anything from a bowl or cooler - like Jungle Juice or P.J.
Being drugged is never the victim's fault, despite our tendency for such a gut reaction. If you see someone who is showing the signs of being drugged, always help - you'd want them to do the same for you.
The Preventative: Ways to Keep Yourself Safe
With the rise in attention payed towards sexual assault on college campuses in recent years, there's been a surge in products and methods to prevent people from spiking your drink, and to prevent you from drinking it if they already.
The basics are simply to stay with your drink - never pick up and continue drinking from a cup you've set down and looked away from. When you're walking through a crowding mosh pit, its always a good idea to use the Claw:
The girl/bro code is also essential here. You and your friends can keep one another safe: hold their drinks when they head to the bathroom, keep a lookout for warning signs of drugging or stalking, and always check in if you feel like they - or the person they're flirting with - have had too much to drink in order to make safe decisions.
There are also a number of products that have been developed specially for the detection of drugs in drinks. A special nail polish, developed by Undercover Colors, changes color when its dipped in a drink that contains Rohypnol. Stir your drink with your finger; if the polish changes colors, which should happen within a few seconds, alert the bartender or jump ship. More basic, and more obvious, testing strips can be bought off of Amazon here.
Final Thoughts: Why is it our Responsibility to Care?
It sucks, sucks, sucks that a few fucked-up individuals would ever try and violate another person by drugging them. Yet the fact of the matter is that these people exist, and you become responsible for keeping yourself and others safe. Knowing more about a problem can help lead to the solution, and allow you to have fun with your friends without fear that you don't know about something in your cup. We, as a community, are bigger than Roofies: when we know our facts, we better the world.
Please note: I purposefully tried to avoid the use of gendered pronouns in this article - individuals of any gender or sexual orientation can be effected by drugging for the purpose of sexual assault.
Please also note: If you or someone you know has been effected by sexual assault or drugged drinks, do not hesitate to reach out to organizations such as RAINN, a sexual assault service provider, for support or to share your story.