Discuss the acute effects associated with gamma hydrobutyrate (GHB) and provide two protective strategies that reduce the vulnerability of women to the consumption of GHB

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: Of all the much-publicized club drugs to emerge in recent years, perhaps the most notorious is the CNS depressant gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB).
Acute Effects
Present-day GHB abuse focuses on its ability to produce euphoria, an "out-of-body" high, in conjunction with lowering of inhibitions. Frequently, a combination of GHB and alcohol can produce a lack of consciousness in about fifteen minutes and subsequent amnesia about
the experience. The notoriety of GHB as a "date-rape" drug stems from its being colorless, odorless, and virtually tasteless. As a result, it can be slipped easily into alcoholic beverages without the knowledge of the drinker.
Protective Strategies for Women
The vulnerability of women to being drugged with GHB while consuming alcohol in a club or bar is considerable (Portrait), but a number of protective strategies can be employed to minimize the risk.
* Watch the person who pours you a drink, even if he or she is a friend or a bartender. Even better, do not drink what you cannot open or pour yourself. Avoid punch bowls and shared containers.
* Never accept a drink offered to you by a stranger.
* Do not leave a drink alone—not while you are dancing, using the restroom, or making a telephone call. If you have left it alone, toss it out.
* Appoint a designated "sober" friend to check up on you at parties, bars, and clubs,/ gatherings.
* If a friend seems extremely drunk or sick after a drink and has trouble breathing, call 911 immediately.
* If you have been slipped GHB, the drug will take effect within ten to thirty minutes. Initially, you will feel dizzy or nauseated or will develop a severe headache. You
can be incapacitated rapidly. This is the time when having a nondrinking friend nearby is crucial.
* If you wake up in a strange place and believe that you have been sexually assaulted while under the influence of GHB, do not urinate until you have been admitted to a hospital. There is an approximately twelve-hour window of opportunity to detect GHB through urinanalysis.

A test strip created by Drink Safe Technology is now available that can detect not only GHB but also Rohypnol and ketamine. A straw can be used to place a few drops of one's drink on the test strip. If the liquid turns blue, there is a positive result. Unfortunately, when the drink contains dairy products, an accurate detection cannot be made. Bar coasters have been
developed that incorporate this particular test strip. Never forget, however, that the original and all-time leading date-rape drug is alcohol itself.