April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and it’s the perfect time to both learn more and celebrate the local businesses and neighbors who stand with survivors. This month, we’re talking about drug-facilitated sexual assault, sharing a powerful tool that’s helping make hospitality spaces safer, and kicking off our annual Pints for Our Voice campaign.
What Is Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault?
Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is a serious form of sexual violence that remains underreported and too often clouded by myths that blame victims rather than holding perpetrators accountable. This violation of bodily autonomy is never the survivor’s fault. Everyone deserves to feel safe, supported, and in control of their own body.
DFSA happens when someone uses drugs or alcohol to make another person unable to consent to sexual activity. These substances lower inhibitions, impair judgment, and can prevent a person from resisting or even remembering what happened.
There are two ways this can occur: a perpetrator may take advantage of someone who is voluntarily using substances, or they may intentionally give someone drugs or alcohol without their knowledge. While media coverage often focuses on drinks being secretly spiked, alcohol is actually the most common substance involved in drug-facilitated assault.
Examples of DFSA include:
- Pressuring someone to drink or use drugs beyond their comfort level
- Initiating sexual contact with someone who is visibly drunk or high
- Ignoring someone who says they feel unwell or overly intoxicated
- Refusing to disclose the contents of a drink or how much of a substance was added
- Intentionally drugging someone to make them more vulnerable
According to a 2023 systematic review of research on DFSA:
- 12% of women over 18 in the U.S. reported being raped while incapacitated by drugs or alcohol at some point in their lives.
- Among U.S. college students, 11% of women and 3% of men reported being sexually assaulted while incapacitated since entering college.
- In a U.S. toxicology study of 1,000 DFSA cases, 78.4% tested positive for at least one substance.
- Besides alcohol, benzodiazepines and cannabis are the most commonly detected substances, and GHB, despite popular belief, has a lower but notable presence.
- In most cases, the assailant was someone the victim knew; one study found 79.4% of victims knew their perpetrator prior to the assault.
Signs you may have been drugged include: trouble breathing, feeling drunk after little or no alcohol, blurred vision or sudden dizziness, nausea or vomiting, confusion or memory loss, and drastic body temperature changes. If you or someone you know experiences these symptoms, get to a safe place and seek help immediately.
If you think you may have been drugged, time is critical. These substances often leave the body within 12 to 72 hours. Try to save your urine in a clean, sealable container and refrigerate or freeze it. Avoid showering or changing clothes if possible, and contact a sexual assault service provider to help find a medical provider that offers forensic exams and toxicology testing.
Most importantly: choosing to drink or use drugs does not mean choosing to be assaulted. The responsibility lies solely with the person who committed the assault. You deserve safety. You deserve support. You deserve to be believed.
If you or someone you know has been affected, Our Voice is here. Our 24/7 crisis line is available at (828) 255-7576.
Ask for Angela: A Simple Way to Ask for Help
One initiative making waves in hospitality spaces across the country is Ask for Angela. It also connects directly to the kind of community safety work we do here at Our Voice.
Ask for Angela is a discreet way to ask for support if you need it, for any reason. By asking for “Angela” at a bar or with a server at a participating venue, you can let staff know quickly and quietly that you need help. Trained staff will respond calmly and appropriately, taking your lead. This could mean offering help to leave, being supported to stay, contacting security, or escalating where needed.
Many people don’t feel able to openly ask for help in the moment. Ask for Angela removes that barrier. The data supports why initiatives like this matter: 75% of harassment victims report that at least one incident happened in person, and 49% of people say they are more likely to visit venues that have visible measures in place to improve safety.
We encourage our local businesses to explore the Ask for Angela initiative and consider training their staff. Creating safer spaces is something every establishment in our community can be part of.
Pints for Our Voice: Raise a Glass This April
Speaking of local businesses stepping up, we are thrilled to be kicking off our 2026 Pints for Our Voice campaign this April! When patrons purchase refreshments at participating locations throughout the month, they are directly supporting Our Voice. Every dollar raised funds prevention education in schools, workplaces, and hospitality spaces right here in Western North Carolina.
By joining Pints for Our Voice during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, these businesses are making a visible commitment to survivors:
The Whale South Slope
The Whale West
Wedge Brewing (RAD + Foundation)
Hillman BeerAsheville + Old Fort
Let’s raise a glass and our voices for survivors this April.
Our Voice has been serving survivors of sexual violence and human trafficking in Western North Carolina for 50 years. For support, call our 24/7 crisis line at (828) 255-7576.