Like some of you reading these words, my knowledge of these drugs used to be based entirely on a few headlines that I had read in the media, plus the Hangover series of films. It’s hardly what I would call encyclopaedic or well informed, but let’s face it: I’m a beardy, middle-aged man and not exactly ripe for being drugged in a bar. Or so I thought.
However, all that changed last year when my group of friends were targeted at a party and our drinks were spiked. To cut a long story short, we were lucky. For a start, I am physically quite large, and didn’t get enough of a dose to entirely rob me of my senses. So we managed to keep ourselves out of trouble, and in all, it ended up being a bit of a scare, but no lasting damage was done.
At this point, it’s worth saying (for those who don’t know) that the effects of this group of drugs tend to be to supress the conscious, rational part of your mind, and make you very suggestible to things you might not normally do. Along with this, they also disrupt the formation of memories, so afterwards you may only have a vague recollection of events. It’s easy to see why they are called date rape drugs, but it’s not as two-dimensional as that.
In the weeks after my own brush with these drugs, I shared my experience with friends, colleagues and family, and was surprised to find that it wasn’t some freak rarity, but that many of the people I spoke to had their own stories to tell. And the more I listened, the more it became clear that my preconceptions were very wrong, and I imagine that yours might be too, because:
- It’s not just about sex: many of those drugged were robbed rather than assaulted.
- It’s not just something that men do to women: many were men who were raped by other men, or men who were robbed by women.
- It’s not just strangers who are a threat: many were drugged by someone they knew, such as a colleague or relative.
- It’s not just the naïve who were caught out: some were among the brightest, most street-wise people I know.
- It’s not just something that happens to youngsters: many were adults with families of their own.
- It’s not just something that happens in bars and clubs: many incidents occurred after meals, in homes, or at office events.
And if after reading all that, you are still thinking it is nothing to do with you, then I’ll leave you with a final cheery thought. Due to circumstances, most of those drugged didn’t realise what had happened until much later and any evidence was long gone. So even if they knew who drugged them, they felt helpless to act.
Out of all the stories I heard, an unpalatable aspect was that only one person was held to account: a co-worker who had been fired, but had received no criminal record. Which means that every single one of them is still out there, free to repeat their actions as they wish. That’s a lovely thought, isn’t it?
So, do you still think it’s something that happens to other people?
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