This realization is important because it changes what sort of caution should be used with drinks in clubs. First and foremost, it is important to have a strong grasp on how much ethanol your drinks have in them. Letting somebody order you an unfamiliar cocktail might not be a good idea if you don't have a solid grasp on how that extra drink will affect you (whereas conventional wisdom about date rape drugs might have you believe that accepting a random cocktail straight from the bartender is perfectly safe).
> This realization is important because it changes what sort of caution should be used with drinks in clubs.
This is very, very sound advice!
I have a somewhat unusually high tolerance to alcohol, which means that by the time everyone around me is drunk as fuck, I'm just getting worked up, and I'm no fun at drinking contests. As a consequence, I have witnessed an unspeakable number of people leaving with people they just met (or worse, driving) when they were drunk beyond belief. Having a history of alcohol intake myself, I know perfectly well that you can be quite sure you're in perfect share when you're barely dragging your feet.
GHB may be fancy and slick, but I have often seen people who were so drunk that it wouldn't have had any obvious, immediate effect.
Obligatory disclaimer: my heavy alcohol intake coincided with a period when I suffered from, and actually sought treatment for depression. I never slipped into alcoholism, but drank heavily. I still drink, and still more than your average Joe, but when I feel I get dizzy, I switch to soda. "Stay away from the booze!" is not something I'd advocate, but being careful with the booze is an advice I give wholeheartedly and out of quite some sorrow experience. Your liver may well survive the intake, but your brain and your soul are a lot more fragile than they seem.
GHB is most often used recreationally (intentionally); I only mention it as a "date rape" drug because that's the context in which people are more likely to be familiar with the name.
I wholeheartedly agree, though - alcohol is the most insidious date rape drug around.
GHB is used for that far less frequently than many people seem to think. The common date rape drug seems to be alcohol itself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_rape_drug#Frequency_of_occ...
This realization is important because it changes what sort of caution should be used with drinks in clubs. First and foremost, it is important to have a strong grasp on how much ethanol your drinks have in them. Letting somebody order you an unfamiliar cocktail might not be a good idea if you don't have a solid grasp on how that extra drink will affect you (whereas conventional wisdom about date rape drugs might have you believe that accepting a random cocktail straight from the bartender is perfectly safe).