Drug Use Georgia: The Date-Rape Drug Epidemic – How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones

Do you know the following terms: Roofies, GHB, Special K? These are the “street names” for the most popular date-rape drugs being used today. Roofies are Rohypnol, a sedative that produces a feeling of well-being and short term memory loss. The effects last from 8-24 hours. GHB or Georgia Home Boy, is really a medicine called Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid. It produces an aphrodisiac effect without a hangover. This makes this drug a favorite on college campuses. Special K is a veternarian drug used on farm animals. It has the same effects as the previous two drugs.

What are the other effects of these drugs? In addition to those I’ve mentioned you should be aware of the following: drunk appearance (after a small amount of alcohol), drowsiness, light-headedness, staggering, confusion, vertigo, muscle relaxation (if a sexual assault occurs, it becomes hard to prosecute because the woman is so relaxed that it looks like consensual sex has occurred because there is no sign of forced entry), impairment of phychomotor skills (inability to put the glass back on the table, for instance), and amnesia, which can last up to 24 hours.

How can you reduce your risk of being a victim of a date rape drug? The advice I give to women who attend my Stay Alert! Stay Aive! Safety seminar and echoed in my book “Stay Alert! Stay Alive! Criminals Reveal Their Secrets is…”if you didn’t see the bartender make the drink…don’t take the drink?”

What should you do if you think you’ve been drugged? My advice, based on my over 20 years of law enforcement experience is to simply sit down in the middle of the bar or restaurant. Why? Because that action will draw attention to you. In this day and age of the universal and omnipresent cell phone, someone will call 911 or go get the establishment manager. DO NOT…attempt to go outside by yourself. The person who put it in your drink is watching you (and may even ask if you need assistance).

If the preceding information did not get your attention, here’s the latest on date rape drugs. Bartenders are being paid to put the date rape drug in the drink! And these drugs are not only being used on woman…but on men as well (in sports bars during the excitement of a football or basketball game).

So, tell everyone you know about what you’ve just read. You owe it to them…and the piece of mind you’ll get from knowing you did your part to help your loved ones to…STAY ALERT! STAY ALIVE!

The author, Michael P.S. Williams, is a former Federal Agent with over 25 years of law enforcement experience. He has worked as an undercover narcotics agent and is credited with the seizure of over 25 million dollars in cocaine, in one drug bust. Mike is the author of the book, “Stay Alert! Stay Alive! Criminals Reveal Their Secrets. He is currently a licensed Private Detective in Atlanta. If you’d like him to conduct a safety seminar for your organization, you can reach Mike at his website: http://www.stayalertseminars.com or by email at [email protected].

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