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How to be safer... At a party (or a club, on a date, or other social engagement)
- Have a plan to get home.
- Carry enough cash for a phone call and a taxi.
- Stay in well-populated places when out with someone you don’t know well. Don’t leave a party, concert, game, or other social occasion with someone you just met or don’t know well.
- Check out a first date or a blind date with friends. Insist on going to a public place like a movie, sporting event, or restaurant. Carry money for a phone call and taxi, or take your own car.
- Always seek a clear, sober “yes” for sex. If you’re not sure you’ve gotten one, then wait.
- Monitor your alcohol consumption. Drinking too much alcohol slows reflexes and impairs your ability to recognize a potentially dangerous situation. It puts you at risk – physically and emotionally.
- Keep track of your drink – whether it’s alcoholic or not - while talking, dancing, using the restroom, or making a phone call.
- Get a new drink if you leave yours unattended, or turn away from it. Someone could tamper with it.
- Avoid drinking from open beverage containers, including punch bowls at parties. You don’t know what’s really in them.
- In a bar or restaurant, only accept drinks (even non-alcoholic ones) from the bartender or server.
- At a party, don’t accept drinks, even soda or water, from someone you do not know well and trust.
- Do not drink from a container that is being passed around.
- If possible, bring your own drinks to parties.
- If someone offers you a drink from the bar while at a club or party, accompany the person to the bar to order your drink, watch the drink being poured, and carry the drink yourself.
- Be wary of drink that taste salty or soda that is flat; these can be signs of GHB.
- Be suspicious of eyedroppers, mouthwash bottles, and bubble solutions as they are often used to transport GHB.
- Don’t drink anything that has excessive foam, or unexplainable residue.
- Don’t mix drugs and alcohol
- Watch out for your friends. If someone appears too drunk for the amount of alcohol consumed, keep him/her safe, and get help if you think they need it.
- Go to parties with friends and make sure you all leave together. Do not leave with someone you just met. Do not leave a drunken friend behind.
- Don’t become isolated with someone you don’t know or trust. If you’re out with someone you don’t know well, stay in public areas.
- Think about your limits and what you want in a relationship (even a brief one), and clearly express that.
- Trust your instincts. If something or someone doesn’t seem right, or if you feel pressured or afraid, trust yourself. Protest and then go to a safe place where you feel more comfortable.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you need help, be loud and clear!
Sex without your consent is sexual assault – no matter how much you or anyone else had to drink. If you are sexually assaulted, it’s not your fault. Tell someone.
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