With Halloween falling on a Friday this year, local advocates for safe drinking culture are urging people going out to celebrate to be cautious and vigilant.
Good Night Out specifically wants to remind those who are going out and plan on drinking that drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is a very real danger, but there are steps ways to stay safe while partying.
According to Good Night Out, DFSA occurs when alcohol and/or other drugs are used to intentionally incapacitate a person and perpetrate sexual assault.
For those who don’t know, putting a substance, poison or drug into someone’s drink without their consent is a crime and perpetrators can be charged with administration of a noxious substance.
This charge comes with a sentence of up to 14 years.
Any substance that alters someone’s level of consciousness or physical ability to resist can be used to commit this crime.
Some examples of substances which are commonly used for DFSA are alcohol, GHB, ketamine, opiates and edible/liquid cannabis products.
In some cases, people can even use over the counter medication such as Gravol, Benadryl, Nytol (sleep aid) and any prescription medication with a sedative or drowsy effect.
Good Night Out warns that most of the substances used for DFSA are legal, easily accessible, and easily used to commit DFSA.
Furthermore, many of these substances are tasteless and easy to administer, particularly into drinks.
Oftentimes alcohol is combined with another substance or recreational drugs and will make a person drowsy.
According to Good Night Out, DFSA can happen anywhere, even where a person may feel safe.
Here are some red flags to watch out for while out and about this Halloween, whether at a party or a bar:
- People pressuring others to drink faster, larger quantities or stronger alcoholic beverages
- When individuals make “jokes” about getting someone drunk in order to have sex with them
- When someone flirts with or targets the most intoxicated person in the room
- When someone orders a drink for another that is stronger than was asked for
- Someone trying to isolate an intoxicated person by removing them from their group
If someone is drugged with something they did not consent to, there are several common signs that people can look out for in order to know when they should go to a hospital.
Good Night Out says that the signs to watch out for are include confusion, nausea or vomiting, hallucinations and paranoia, disorientation or poor coordination, loss of ability to communicate properly, lowered inhibitions and lastly, intoxication symptoms coming on rapidly.
For those working in the service industry, if a customer says something along the lines of “I should not be this drunk” or “I have only had one drink,” this should be a red flag.
There are also a few proactive prevention methods that Good Night Out recommends to ensure a safe time.
They say using coasters or other methods to cover drinks when they are not being drunk is an easy method of preventing unwanted substances from getting in a drink.
Additionally, if you have left your drink for some time unattended, do not drink it—dump it instead.
Good Night Out wants to share all this information so that people who want to go out on Halloween have the best chances of staying diligent and safe.
They offer additional DFSA training, which is available online here.
