DATE RAPE DRUGS
Maggie was excited to go out with her friends to a rave on Saturday night. They had been there around an hour when a man named George, whom she had never met, offered to buy her a drink. As she was sitting at a table with her friends, George said that he could go to the bar and get it.
George returned with two fruity drinks and handed one to Maggie. At that point, the three people at her table decided they wanted to dance. George asked Maggie to stay with him and finish their drinks. Maggie agreed and took a sip of her drink. A short time later, she felt as if she was drunk. She'd only had one drink prior meeting George, so she blamed the feeling to being drunk on that she had an empty stomach or the bartender making the drinks extra strong.
This is the last memory that Maggie had. The next night, she found herself in her bed with her clothes off. She saw condom wrappers on the night stand. She feared that she must have had sex with someone but she didn't remember anything. She felt sore but couldn't attribute it to anything she remembered.
Maggie attributed her behavior to being drunk and blacking out although she'd never done that before. She called a friend who was with her that night hoping to get some details. Her friend answered the phone in a jovial tone saying that Maggie must have had a "good night." Without wanting to admit what had happened, she allowed her friend to continue. "George seemed like a really nice guy. I didn't know where you went; did he give you a ride home?"
Maggie responded, "yes...I gotta run." It never crossed her mind that she could have been drugged. In reality, George had slipped GHB into her drink.
Date rape with the use of drugs is also known as "drug facilitated sexual assault." It is especially common among college students. Rapes that include "date rape drugs" render an individual incapable of giving consent. Some common date rape drugs are Rohypnol, GHB, and Ketamine. All three of which may erase memories of the events that transpired while under the influences of the drug.
These are also commonly called "club drugs" because they are often used at dance clubs, concerts, and raves. They have little taste or color therefore they are easily slipped into someone's drink. These drugs act quickly (15-30 minutes) and can render an individual either totally unconscious or even immobile without any memory. When one is drugged, a person may act as if she or he is drunk. This allows the assailant to lure the individual into the car, out of the club, etc. As there may be no memories, some sexual assaults are only recognized due to physical trauma. It is common for survivors to believe that they "blacked out" without knowing they were under the influence of a drug.
Alcohol is commonly used to help commit sexual assault. Often it brings up the question of consent. When someone is intoxicated, just as the with the other date rape drugs, they are unable to give consent.
EFFECTS OF DATE RAPE
A month after the party, Hannah continued to feel extremely anxious. What made matters worse is that Chris was in several of her classes so she saw him regularly. He actually went out of his way to smile at her and chat with her as if nothing happened. When she was in his class, she would "check out." Her mind would wander and at one point, she was sitting in her class and missed the entire lecture. The only thing that brought her back to the room was the moment people began getting out of their seats and leaving.
Hannah became very depressed and couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. She continued to have flashbacks to that night and her body felt like it was happening again. Her anxiety was out of control. She was barely able to concentrate on her school work and her grades were dropping rapidly. She had dropped out of her sorority using the excuse that she had to focus more on school. In reality, she felt she could not trust them as she thought on some level that they knew what happened. In addition, she was embarrassed because she was sure that Chris had told his fraternity brothers that he had sex with her. Hannah assumed that her sorority sisters knew what had happened and now considered herself to be a "slut."
After another month, Hannah's anxiety was so bad that she dropped out of school. Reality was that in addition to the poor grades, it was too much for her to walk by the fraternity house and see Chris on a regular basis. After she left school, she never talked to her sorority sisters again.
The effects of date rape include a broad range of symptoms including leaving the survivor feeling "tainted" or "bad" in some way. As in Hannah's case, she felt dirty and assumed everyone thought she was a "slut." Rape hits survivors at their core and instills a belief that they are somehow to blame. They feel as if the rape had something to do with their own behaviors. Without putting the responsibility on the assailant, survivors continue to blame themselves.
One symptom in particular is shaken trust. Having known their assailant, many survivors have great difficulty with trusting others. Survivors feel "on guard" with acquaintances they once trusted.
In addition to trust issues, rape survivors are 3 times more likely to suffer from depression. For many, depression goes untreated or undertreated for years. Because depression is somewhat a common condition, survivors may not make the correlation between the assault and their feelings afterwards. This depression can manifest for years until the survivor is adequately treated for both the depression and the rape.
Survivors are 6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD can be recognized with three different categories of symptoms. It starts with intrusive symptoms. Intrusive symptoms literally "intrude" a survivor's life. Survivors are often reminded of the rape when they don't intend to think about it. Some say the memories come "out of the blue." Intrusive symptoms may take the form of flashbacks, dreams, smells, or other bodily sensations.
These intrusive symptoms produce a great deal of anxiety as survivors never know when the next flashback or sensation will occur. This anticipation and discomfort leads to arousal symptoms. These symptoms keep the survivor in a continuous state of high alert for potential danger. Hypervigilence is fueled by the feeling that the world is not safe both externally and internally. Survivor's bodies often respond to reminders of the rape as if it is happening in the present. This is to ensure that the acts or feelings associated with the rape alert the survivor of danger. Survivors may know in their "mind" that the rape was in the past, but the body, having no sense of time, responds as if it is happening in the present.
This heightened state of arousal leads to avoidance symptoms. In Hannah's case, she "checked out" when reminded of the rape. This is known as dissociation. Survivors go to great lengths to protect themselves against flashbacks and other intrusive symptoms. For some, withdrawing all together is the only means of escape.
Maggie had the idea that she had been raped but still blamed herself for drinking too much. She was afraid to tell anyone because she thought they too would blame her for what happened. Maggie had always been a light drinker but soon after the rape, she began drinking a few glasses of wine at night just to "wind down" and to sleep without having nightmares.
Alcohol helped reduce her anxiety. This anxiety, however, would not subside. A month later she went to a psychiatrist who said that she probably had an anxiety disorder and prescribed her Xanax (a prescriptions to help her relax). Maggie didn't tell the psychiatrist that she was drinking or about the rape. Soon after seeing the psychiatrist, she began abusing the Xanax and drinking.
Maggie only drank wine since mixed drinks created flashbacks to that night she was with George. It wasn't long before she developed an addiction which progressed quickly. She was drinking numerous drinks at night and it was getting to the point where she was drinking earlier in the day. She was missing work constantly and often stayed in bed all day taking four Xanax instead of the prescribed two. When she was extremely intoxicated, she even contemplated ending her life.
One way survivors try and avoid symptoms is by drinking or taking drugs. Survivors are 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol and 26 times more likely to abuse drugs. They may find that drugs and alcohol are an escape from symptoms associated with the rape. It may be the one thing that allows them to relax. This misuse of substances often leads to addiction.
A world full of fear and feelings of being unsafe may cause survivors to contemplate ending their life. Survivors are 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide. Suicide may seem the only way to escape the symptoms of PTSD, alcohol/drug dependence, or other symptoms associated with rape. In addition, some survivors experience "passive suicidality." For example, individuals may not necessarily want to die, but may welcome an accident or something else that would put them out of their misery.
RECOVERING FROM RAPE
After a year, Hannah's mother suggested she go to counseling for her depression. Hannah agreed and proceeded to find a counselor and tell her about her anxiety and depression. She did not mention the rape. Hannah did not talk about the rape. After all, the counselor never asked.
Hannah spent a few sessions getting to know the counselor. It was going relatively well but Hannah continued to have flashbacks. Finally, Hannah took the initiative and told her counselor of her symptoms and that she had been raped. From this, the counselor explained how her present symptoms could be related to the rape. Hannah talked a great deal about the rape. Shortly there after they started talking about it, Hannah's flashbacks started to go away.
Healing starts with talking about the assault. Without disclosing their struggles, survivors limit the amount of help they can receive. Talking about the experience is the recommendation of virtually every survivor. Without shedding light on their experience, many survivors feel as if they remain isolated in the darkness of their pain.
The suggestions below are not linear. They are about validating the experience of rape and working through the symptoms associated with it. When Hannah began talking about her experience, her counselor validated the fact that it was not her fault.
These are just a few steps toward recovery. Undoubtedly there will be other steps survivors will uncover as they continue on the journey. It is important that a survivor is issued unconditional positive regard and that she is gentle with herself in recovery. Remember it is progress, not perfection.
It may be an extremely difficult path; one survivor's may not want to take alone. It is recommended that survivors have assistance in their recovery. It can be friends, family, a trained counselor, or any other person whom the survivor deems to be safe, trustworthy, and understanding. Although survivors may feel a great deal of isolation, it is important to know that they are not alone. Remember that this is a process where the survivor needs support and guidance.
Take these experiences as suggestions instead of demands set in stone. This may be a messy process, survivors may feel better at times, and worse at other times. This may be an introduction to recovery or enhancing the progress of recovery survivors have achieved in the past.
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