Be Aware of Your Surroundings...

A few weeks ago, I was visiting a family member in the hospital and we were watching this show that was called, "What Would You Do?" That particular night the show videotaped what people would do if they saw a man dropping something in his date's drink. While it was on, one of the nurses shared an interesting story with us and I thought it was important to share it.

One night, she and a friend decided to go to this club for "Goth Night" because they had never been in an environment like that before. After being there for a while, they were approached by a man who told them that they seemed like "interesting" people and asked if they would like to go with him to check something out. So they did; and as they were being led down this stairwell into the basement of the club she noticed that something didn't seem right. As they got to the bottom of the stairs and she looked into the room that he was leading them to she noticed chains, whips, swings, and other S&M type paraphernalia. Both her and her friend aggressively made it clear that they weren't into that type of thing and backed up the steps keeping a close eye on the basement they just came out of and left the club shaken.

She says that she can't believe that she made that type of judgement call because anything could have happened to the both of them that night. She tells her story to as many people as she can and I thought I could help spread the word about the importance of being aware of your surroundings.



According to the RAINN (Rape Abuse & Incest National Network), someone is sexually assualted every 2 minutes in the United States. Although reports show that instances of sexual assault has dropped by 60% since 1993, in 2007 alone, there were 248,300 victims of sexual assault over the age of 12. In a lifetime, 1 out of every 6 women, and 1 out of every 33 men will be sexually assaulted. Yes fellas, it can happen to you as well.

A few important statistics to know:
-Approximately 2/3 of rapes were committed by someone known to the victim.
-73% of sexual assaults were perpetrated by a non-stranger.
-38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance.
-28% are an intimate.
-7% are a relative.

So for all of my clubheads, party-goers, and people out to have a good time, please keep the following tips in mind when you go out:
-Do not accept open drinks at parties, especially from people you don't know. This also includes any sodas, juices, and bottled water. If you're drinking from a bottle or can, open it yourself.

-Never leave your drink unattended. Only ask someone that you trust to watch your drink and if you walk away with no one to watch your drink, buy a new one when you return.

-Never go out to a bar, party or club alone. Take atleast one person you know and trust with you; take a group of people to make the experience even safer.

- If your drink has an unusual taste, or appearance (salty taste, has excessive foam, or residue) DO NOT continue to drink it.

-Never mix drugs and alcohol. The combination can be dangerous.

Drink responsibly and party responsibly. It could save your life. For more information about Rape please check out http://www.rainn.org/statistics.

*Do you have an experience you'd like to share? Feel free to email me @ writers_inkorporated@yahoo.com. Or you can comment here, or send me and IM!*

DISCLAIMER: All statistics can be linked to their original site by clicking on any highlighted portion of this blog