Safe Drinking campaign starts at Hanscom

  • Published
  • By Beverly D'Angelo
  • Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  The Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Drug Demand Reduction Program, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Program and the Minuteman Commons are joining forces and combining their knowledge to help stop sexual predators.

Statistics show that approximately half of all sexual assault victims report that they were drinking alcohol at the time of the assault, with estimates ranging from 30 to 79 percent.

Every two minutes a sexual assault occurs. According to the National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women and Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey in November 1998, nearly one fifth of women and one in 33 men reported experiencing a completed or attempted rape at some time in their lives.

Is there anything you can do to influence these staggering statistics? The SARC, DDRP and ADAPT managers say yes. There are things each person can do to decrease the chances of being a victim of sexual assault. The following are some examples.

On an evening out, a very nice man bought Ms. A a drink. She was a little uncomfortable, but she drank it. After all, it was paranoid to think he had done something to her drink and she did not want to be rude. When she got up the next morning, she had no memory of sexual activity, but the evidence was there. She put it together later when she realized her wallet was missing. That nice man who put a drug in her drink stole her wallet with her address. While she was sleeping, he broke into her house and raped her.

Ms. B was out for the evening with her friends. When they saw her leaving with a stranger very soon after their arrival, they checked on her. She appeared far more impaired than seemed possible so shortly after their arrival. They stopped her from leaving and the stranger very quickly disappeared from the club. At the emergency room, lab results showed there was Rohypnal in her blood.

Rohypnol, or roofies; GHB, also called liquid ecstasy or Grievous Bodily Harm; and Ketamine, also known as Special K, K, Vitamin K, CAT and Cat Valium, are drugs known to be utilized to incapacitate a victim, leaving her or him vulnerable to assault.

Several base agencies have decided to help. The Safe Drinking campaign will provide cardboard coasters at the Minuteman Commons and the base bowling alley. There are designated squares on the coasters. When anyone puts a drop of a drink on the square, it will change color if the drink has been altered with a "date rape" drug.

The coasters are a reminder. The best thing one can do to change rape statistics is to protect themselves. SARC, DDRP and ADAPT staff remind personnel to not accept a drink from anyone but the wait staff. If leaving a drink unattended, don't drink it later; get another one. Go out with a friend and plan to leave together. Those that see friends behaving erratically should check it out. Make sure she or he is ok.

The staff also advises Hanscom community members to never drink until they pass out and never leave anyone who has passed out. Unconsciousness can mean total vulnerability to any assault. Their advice is to drink responsibly, which includes drinking only one alcoholic beverage per hour -- up to three per night for women and four for men, alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and eat before and during drinking.

The bottom line is to stay safe, and be less vulnerable to rape or any other crime or abuse. Be in control, alert and aware of your surroundings and always remember your wingman.

Anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual assault has the option for a restricted or unrestricted report. Contact Andrea McKie, Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, at 781-225-7272 for immediate assistance. All medical emergencies are attended to by the nearest hospital emergency room.

For more information about date rape drugs or other drugs, contact Paul Howell, Drug Demand Reduction Program manager, at 781-225-6368. Those who have any concerns or questions about alcohol use or abuse should contact Beverly D'Angelo, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment program manager, at 781-225-6392. Anyone who has concerns about their own drinking may also self-refer for a voluntary evaluation. ADAPT is an education and treatment program that can be accessed by self-referral, command referral or medical referral.