A Dose of Spring Break
Protect yourself and your friends from date rape drugs
This spring break, some students will venture off to the beaches to discover a week of drunken stupor. After purchasing a VIP wristband or discovering a local dive, it is easy to forget the dangers of spring break. Instead of sulking alone by the bar, sticking with your friends will be one of your greatest protections against different date rape drugs.
Having extra sets of eyes to watch your drinks and behavior can help you avoid date rape drugs. Bill Smith, student health services administrator at Watkins Memorial Health Center, says friends can help notice if a person is acting more intoxicated than normal. "It is important to have a designated sober person to look out for everyone else, it can be a different person every night. If something is different, then get out of the situation," says Smith.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy says the effects of Rohypnol will begin with 15 to 20 minutes of indigestion and may persist for more than 12 hours. GHB's effects will begin within 15 to 30 minutes and could last from three to six hours.
The most common advice for spring breakers is to watch their drinks and friends. Veronica Duncan, branch manager for STA Travel, says student travelers should never
The most common date rape drugs include GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, GHB has surpassed Rohypnol as the most commonly used date rape drug. GHB and Rohypnol have symptoms of dizziness,
photos: Abby Tillery
nausea, memory impairment and lowered blood pressure. The symptoms of both drugs are enhanced when combined with alcohol. Smith says if someone is slipped a date rape drug friends will notice strong warning signs. The person may black out or act more intoxicated than he or she normally does." They will experience feelings like light headed or tunnel vision — almost like blacking out. It is like a very intense drunkenness," Smith says. If this situation arises, he says to go immediately to the emergency room to be tested for date rape drugs and receive medical care.
drink something that they didn't watch being poured by the bartender and should constantly look out for each other. "Unfortunately, people know why students are there. They are there to party and they are there to drink. People will take advantage of it and that knowledge. Every city has a district and it could be around the corner and you may not even know it," Duncan savs.
Date rape drugs seem unheard of until they happen. An Overland Park junior, who prefers to remain anonymous, says she never thinks of it in Lawrence or other places. "I never thought about it, you read about it and never think about it until you wake up in the hospital the next day. You think your friends are watching but they're really not. They're fixing their make-up in the mirror." She was in Las Vegas to celebrate her 21st birthday and ended up in the hospital
with tracings of GHB and a $2700 hospital bill. She had consumed only two drinks. The incident hasn't stopped her from traveling, but it has changed her view on it. She says when she is in Cancun for spring break she will pay more attention to who she is around, where she sets her drink and the behavior of her friends.
student travelers should never be by themselves on spring break. Anyone travel by themselves, even from the bar to the hotel. Especially men should not be traveling by themselves."
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— Lindsay Kiliper can be reached at LKiliper@kansan.com.