my nyc punishment conference ended strangely friday night. after the final session, i joined a couple friends at a nearby hotel bar. i felt pretty intoxicated after a drink and a half and went back to my room. i attributed my wooziness to a long day of sessions and an empty stomach, but the next day one of my companions emailed to suggest that something may have been slipped into her drink:

I actually ended up going to the police and reporting this incident. I am now about 100% sure that roofies were slipped into that second drink. My reaction was very unusual. I usually have quite high tolerance to alcohol, yet after a few sips of the 2nd drink, I almost instantly felt out of it. I passed out as soon as I got home and was out cold for about 7 hours. Yet, I woke up around 5AM perfectly fine and not feeling hungover at all.

i won’t name the people or places, at least until i learn more about what happened. but i’ve got more questions than google can answer.

* why would someone target a woman sitting with two other men? rohypnol-like substances can be used for drug-facilitated robbery as well as for drug-facilitated sexual assault. the three of us were well-dressed for the conference (by academic standards, that is), but weren’t flashing cash around.

* who could have done it? the other male in our party is an old friend and above suspicion (i hope that i am as well!). i don’t think the drinks ever left our sight, but i wouldn’t blame the bartenders without much more evidence. do bartenders often feel they’ve been falsely accused in such situations?

* my friend woke up with two black eyes. are any of the roofie-like drugs linked to this sort of discoloration?

* how common are such experiences? i couldn’t find any good stats beyond monitoring the future high school students, which suggest a low rate ( < 2%) of self-reported use.