- Female ISU student
One female ISU student has been willing to share the story of her frightening experience with date rape drugs. J-News has decided to keep her identity anonymous.
The incident happened during her second semester at Illinois State. She was an average freshman. She enjoyed drinking on the weekends and loved to have a good time, she says.
Her group of girl friends were getting ready and "pre-gaming" before they went out to the fraternity houses. She and one of her close girl friends had drank only two shots of alcohol before leaving for the party.
The frat house was decked out in a beach theme, she recalls. "I took a few drinks from some different frat guys, and had one closed beer. I wasn't even really drunk. I was in the basement with sand all over the floor, a guy came up to me and gave me a shot and then I don't remember anything after that."
The group had only been out for an hour when her friends realized there was something wrong. Her friends told her she could not even stand up because she had what they called "noodle legs". They decided the best thing to do was to bring her home from the party.
They left her in a friends' bed to sleep it off. But when the girls went in later to check on her, they realized she was missing. A frantic search through the apartment found her in the shower with the water running. She was fully clothed.
Her friends dried her off and she fell back asleep. Her first memory from the evening after taking the shot in the sandy basement was at 6:30 a.m. the next day.
"I woke up crying. I knew it was different than a black-out from drinking," she recalls. "I just wanted to go home. Thank God my friends were there for me - who knows what could have happened."
When asked if she felt being drugged at a party is something that could easily happen to people, she responds: "Yes. I think it happens more than people think, even without them realizing. I'm sure some people just blame it on them drinking too much."
Inevitably, the incident has left her far more cautious. "I never accept any opened drinks now," she says, "or I just drink before I go out so I don't have to worry about it"
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A second ISU female student spoke of her experience at a freshmen party.
She and her friends were out at the "average house party" on campus. They had drank a little before going out, but were far from intoxicated, she says.
“A guy came up to me and my two girl friends with a Gatorade bottle in his hands. There was obviously not Gatorade in it; it was a dark colored liquid. This guy was so pushy for us to have a drink out of that bottle. We declined it multiple times; he persisted to the point that we got so uncomfortable we left the party after only 45 minutes."
She recalls she saw the same guy attempting to make other girls at the party just "taste" his drink. He was very forceful.
When asked how she felt after avoiding this experience, she said, "I felt disgusted that people do that. Had we been drunk we probably would have taken a drink from him - that's scary. I'm thankful we realized what was going on and got out of the situation."
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Date rape drugs are a serious issue that can have very negative psychological and physical effects on its victims. Realize the signs and be smart. If you or someone you know has been effected by date rape drugs, contact Student Counseling Services at (309) 438-3655.