I recently was giving a drink called homeboy ice tea. Before this I was a little drunk maybe 7 beers in 5 hours. After the ice tea, I can remember only a very short time. I was arrested for and was found to have marijuana on me with a pipe, don't know where these came from. The next day I was admitted to the hospital for high blood pressure and tremors or shaking. After I drank the tea the guy told me dude that had ghb in it, which I was like right.

Now I am in trouble with the law and they don't believe me because I can't remember anything after I drank it. I have hired a lawyer but between the tickets which I called on battery for hitting a bar owner in the face after I woke up from sleeping at the bar, he was also a friend, any information to me can be helpful.

Sharon, I commend the work you have done and continue to do.

My wife was a victim of this crime just recently. And in order to help other women out there I would like to share her experience and give some advice based on what we learned.

It was a Thursday night, and my wife went downtown to a club with a co-worker (distinct difference from friend). The female co-worker was meeting another co-worker, for a "first date" if you will.

My wife had 3 drinks with these co-workers and went dancing for a bit. She came back to the table and had another drink. This drink delivered by the waitress, had a strange taste so she brought it back to the bartender and received another one.

She went back out to the dance floor.

She was soon approached by a "normal" looking guy who first asked her if she was married. She said yes. The man then asked if your husband would mind if I bought you a drink. Thinking he was harmless, she said no, he wouldn't mind.

They sat at the bar and after some time she turned her back to him, as if trying to say, thanks for the drink, but I am not interested.

From there her memory is gone.

She doesn't remember closing her tab. She remembers getting her coat, thinking she was going out front of the club to smoke.

Meanwhile her friends remember her giggling, hanging all over the guy, kissing him, and then leaving (they thought she two was smoking because she was all night and he was following her with the two drinks still).

Next all she remembers is seeing the side of a cab. Thinking in the cab, "where are we going?"

She doesn't remember vomitting all over herself and the cab. She remembers being at the cheap hotel desk while they were getting a room. Again, unable to comprehend the situation. And she remembers him kissing her in the hotel room.

When she woke she called me immediately, not knowing where she was or what had happened. Unfortunately, I was only suspicious, not knowing that being drugged was even a possibility.

She woke him up and asked him if they had done "it".

He replied, "What, you don't remember? I guess this makes it awkward for the two of us."

She went to work that day, left early to see her primary care doctor and when she did she was alerted by her doctor that she had been sexually assaulted.

She was treated by the responding police officer like she was at fault, that it was infidelity. The officer called me and asked if there was a history of infidelity. I said, "No, she never goes out, she is a mother of three, and a very dedicated mother."

I asked if she was drugged.

The officer responded, "if she was drugged, he would have had to carry her out of the club." Not true, I know this now.

At the hospital in the rape clinic, things moved very slow and she was not tested until the end, almost eighteen hours after she was dosed.

The drug test came back negative. The police found the guy, he denies everything, and says that she was having the time of her life. The DA decided not to procesecute. Good news is they have his name and he is now in a database, when he strikes again, and he will, hopefully he will be caught. I did write the Chief of Police, telling her of the story and urging her to take more proactive measures in educating the women in this city.

So, what did we learn:

1. Watch your drink and do not accept a drink from anyone you don't know, no matter how harmless they appear.
2. Go out with FRIENDS, not co-workers, people who don't know you outside of work.
3. Get tested immediately. Demand that it be done first thing.
4. Most of all, be strong and do not blame yourself for what was done to you.

Sharon,

Thankfully this story didn't turn out bad but I thought it was important to share. I believe that my sister and I were given something in our drinks by a bartender in Las Vegas just last weekend.

We stopped by a bar for a buy one drink, get one free deal. We ordered lemon drop martinis and never left our drinks alone. After just a few sips we both started to feel drunk and joked about what strong drinks they were. We decided not to stay at the bar and by the time we were back outside walking the strip we were feeling woozy and really drunk, off of the one drink!

Thankfully nothing bad happened to us. I feel strongly that some kind of drug was put in our drinks. I'm just shocked that a bartender would do something like that as he was the only one who could have. You basically can't trust anyone! I think the most important thing to do is to always go out with friends so you can watch each other. Better yet, have a designated person who drinks their own water and nothing else!!

Thankful Erin

I have been a victim 16 years ago in May 1992 whilst I was 26 years old and part of a group of canadian students on a study tour in Costa Rica. Only on the last night I was alone in the capital San José to take a plane the next day. Another student - whom I should never had trusted- had told me to go to a nice small hotel owend by a German in San José. I went and was more or less the only customer that one night. The lady at the reception /bar served me the fatal drink. Her boss and the watchman did the rest.

The memory of this terrible incident only came back to my conscience 14 years after it took place in 2006. I was undertaking an hypno-therapy because of being too tired after the birth of my 2nd child and then this memory immediately propped up. This has been a terrible time since. I gained nearly 20 lbs. I try to tell people with teenager girls to warn them. This seems to be the best I can do but I wish I could do something to get these people accountable for their deeds.

Thanks for your initiative.

Anne

We have four teenagers in the Tipperary Ireland area that have been committed to mental hospitals recently after their drinks were spiked. My sister is friends with one of them.

Where are these coasters available from please? Your site is brilliant by the way.

Dear Sharon,

Hello again, just stopping by to tell you how much I appreciate the books, support & comfort you have given to me lately. I believe I would still be a lost victim if it weren`t for you & your book as you both pointed me in the right direction. Your book is amazing & it`s so nice to know that I am not going through this alone. I hope people that visit your site & also that read your book will tell others about your website, I know I will. Again thanks. The following is a poem I wrote before reading your book. I no longer blame God after reading Who`s Watching Your Drink, instead I keep thanking God for my son & letting me live & not die on them horrible nights. I have reason to believe this happened to me four times in my life. When I was 17, 18, 20, & again 20 yrs.

God help me I`m so, so sad, I recently learned my son has a bad dad. The man whom had taken me on that awful night, God what he did to me, just was not right.

This has been hidden deep inside me all these years, Now I have to fight to push away all my tears. How could you let something like that happen to me, Now, I wish he had never told me and just let us be.

You saw what he did to me on that frightful night, And you know my son just wants him to make things right. Until then my son lives on without that bad dad, Who cannot face up to the fact that he was so bad.

How can you allow so much rape in this world, Everytime I think or hear about it my stomach gets curled. He told me he remembers fooling around with me that night, But by telling me 27 years later doesn`t make things right.

Thank you for writing your book"Who's Watching Your Drink". The incident also happened to me although, I didn't know it at the time. In my case I am almost sure photos and video were taken as well. I vaguely remember something like that. It haunts me to this day and I did report it, anonymously.

Thanks for speaking out against these HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE people who feel it is their right to violate someone else.

Heidi

I was in Las Vegas last week, I left a drink unattended along with my camera and a couple of shopping bags while my sister and a friend went to the bathroom. I checked on them to see if they were okay and when I returned a security guard had my items in his hand. During this time I had had a few drinks but was fine.

After I got back to my drink and took a few sips of it while we were leaving I felt a bit funny. Then it hit me. I lost the next 5 to 6 hours of the night. I didn't pass out though, instead I became very aggressive and verbally abusive to my family and friend. I have no recollection of what happened. My family said my eyes were dilated and I looked very evil, this matched my personality that night. My oldest sister punched me in the mouth, cutting me with her wedding band, of course I have no recollection of that either.

This issue went on until about 5 am. by 7 am I was up feeling groggy but I wasn't intoxicated. I was communicating fine, I was very tired and my body ached all over. The next day I was exhausted and felt like I had the body aches as if I had the flu. I spoke with Mary at "Project watch Your Drink"and she figured I had been drugged.

Please tell others to be aware and never leave there drink unattended.