Date-rape drugs are real. They're not just some statistic on a page or something you hear about from a documentary. They can be slipped to anyone, anywhere, at any time. 

Date rape and the use of alcohol or drugs in sexual coercion is something everyone talks about during freshman orientation, it's grazed over on teen shows, and mentioned as a statistic in our textbooks. A lot of people shove it into the back of their minds because it really doesn't apply to them. We have an, "it won't happen to me," attitude. Well it happped to this sorority woman, and she has a story to share that will show you what it's really like to wake up after being slipped date-rape drugs. Below, is her first-person account.

All I really remember was waking up. I felt this really weird sensation in my arm and looked up to see a doctor hovering over me, pulling out my IV and checking to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. Was this some sort of sick joke? Where the hell was I? I looked down and noticed that I was clad in a paper hospital diaper dress and my stomach immediately dropped to the floor -- I was just at my friend’s house five seconds ago. We were talking about his sister and laughing about some stupid joke. Did I pass out? What’s going on? 

“Ah, you’re up,” the doctor said. “Could you tell me what you drank last night?” 

“A little bit of vodka.” 

I had barely had anything to drink. I couldn’t have possibly gotten so drunk that I ended up in the hospital. I was then bombarded with a barrage of questions about the events of the night before, but I couldn’t remember what had happened. All I was able to recall was hanging out with all of my best guy friends and then opening my eyes.

"Well, your alcohol level was .295, but on the bright side you tested positive for date rape drugs.”

Was this some sort of sick joke? Where are the hidden cameras and Ashton jumping out saying, “You’ve been punked!” 

The rest of the night buzzed by in a blur as my friends and boyfriend picked me up and brought me home. I cried the whole way and didn’t say a thing to my friends about the drugs because I figured that they already knew. I trudged into the bathroom and gingerly washed all of the twigs out of my hair from the night before and scrubbed all of the dirt off of myself. I looked like I had been hit by a car and rolled around in a mud pit, and I felt like it, too. My whole body was so sore and I was exhausted, so I fell asleep as soon as I hit the pillow. 

When I woke up, I knew the first thing I had to do was call my mom. I remembered texting her the night before -- perfectly fine and sober -- about something mundane before my whole night disappeared into a blackout. She picked up the phone, crying hysterically, worried for me because my boyfriend had called her and told her what had happened, and that I was in the hospital. I tried to ease her nerves before telling her about the drugs, and when I told her what had caused the events of last night she was relieved because she told me that she never thought that I would ever drink that much. Apparently the EMTs, as they loaded me onto a stretcher, had said, “if your daughter drank as much as it looks like she did, she would be dead.” 

Next, I knew I had to call my dad. It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. He picked up the phone and I hesitantly told him all that happened last night. At first he started yelling, “damnit, f***ing damnit!” and then he burst into tears. Hearing my dad cry was one of the worst experiences I’ll ever have. All I wanted to do was reach through the phone and comfort him. When I finished the phone call, a bunch of my Greek sisters came into the room and tried to console me. My little couldn’t even look at me without crying. I felt sick. 

Later that day, when I was able to walk around without my muscles screaming in pain, I went downstairs, logged onto Facebook, and found a bunch of messages from my sisters asking me how I was and if I needed anything. Supposedly, they were the ones who found me. I asked them where they had finally picked me up and they said, “Ash Street, don’t you remember seeing us?”

Apparently, I had been wandering around by myself down a random street on campus, puking up blood, covered in dirt and twigs. I don’t even know where Ash Street is. I had gotten so sick from walking, that I passed out in someone’s yard. Thankfully, they knew what house I belonged in and they called my sisters. I told the girls how my night had ended and they went into shock. They couldn’t believe that I was in so much danger when they found me. They thought I was just puking from drinking too much and had wandered too far.

I still feel sick to my stomach when I think of the events of that night. If that random person hadn’t called my friends, would I even be alive? Would I have puked up so much blood that I wouldn’t have made it to the hospital in time when someone did find me? My friends and boyfriend are still shocked and horrified at what happened. I don’t even understand it myself. I never drink too much, I’m always the girl who’s smart when it comes to parties, and you’ll never see me making a fool of myself. How could this have happened to me?

Date rape drugs are real, and they’re scary. They’re not just some statistic on a page in your textbook, they’re not just something you see in a movie or a documentary, they’re what causes one of your friends to puke up blood and end up in the hospital. Whether you’re male or female, it doesn’t matter. Anyone could be the victim of a date rape drug, and it’s serious business. Here are some tips to keep yourself safe at college parties and avoid becoming a victim: 

1. Don’t take an open beverage from anyone, male or female. By open beverage, I’m referring to those red Solo cups filled with beer, wine, or hard alcohol, handed to you by a random partygoer or someone you don’t know that well. It’s easy to slip drugs into a drink and, often, they’re undetectable. 

2. Avoid alcohol tubs or random punch bowls. You never know if some random mixed drugs were put in beforehand.

3. Only take alcohol, whether it's beer, wine, or hard-a, from people you know or buy it yourself. Trust your source. 

4. Never, ever, under any circumstances leave your drink unattended. 

If you or any of your friends are given a date rape drug (Rohypnol, Ketamine, or Gamma Hydroxybutyrat) it is important to take immediate steps to insure personal safety. Here are some tips in case you or someone you know is a suspected victim of a date rape drug: 

1. Immediately call 911. 

2. Describe all symptoms, no matter how minor you think they are. 

3. Get yourself or the friend to a safe environment and wait for an ambulance or take them to a hospital immediately.

4. Date rape drugs, according to University Services at UC Berkeley, can be detected in the blood or urine anywhere from four to 12 hours after, depending on the drug, so it’s important to get the victim into the care of a doctor when you suspect something is wrong.