Alcohol & Sexual Assault [INFOGRAPHIC]
The likelihood of falling victim to sexual assault significantly increases if you abuse alcohol. A survey conducted by the Office for National Statics (UK) found that 38% of victims reported that the offender(s) was under the influence of alcohol.
The same proportion of victims (38%) said they were under the influence of alcohol themselves.
The debate about sexual assault and alcohol abuse has recently been trending following the sexual assault allegations directed against the US Supreme Court judge Brett Kavanaugh. Although we will not be discussing the merits of those allegations in this article, we feel they nevertheless highlight important issues and risks that we would like to shed light upon.
The alleged victim of those allegations, Christine Blasey Ford, stated she did not come forward with the claim earlier because she felt ashamed and afraid to do so. She alleges to have experienced the assault at the age of 15 and she could not even bring herself to tell her parents.
The unfortunate truth is that perpetrators of sexual abuse strategically use alcohol as a tool to allow them to go unpunished. Many of these people are in positions of power and utilise both their power and alcohol combined to go on to commit dozens of sexual assaults.
As a helpline advisor as well as a blogger at Rehab Recovery, I personally recall speaking to dozens of men and women who had experienced sexual assault whilst intoxicated by alcohol. One of these people recounted how he had been gang-raped of men whilst on a night out in Sunderland in the North East of England. Another story involved a woman who had been raped by her own father whilst intoxicated.
Perhaps the most shocking of all was a woman who recounted how a bouncer in a London nightclub had escorted her home in a taxi only to repeated rape her for several hours once she arrived home.
I apologise if these stories are distressing, but they should serve to warn you of potential dangers when you are intoxicated.
If you are sexually assaulted, visit the police station without delay. Do not take a shower. It’s important to sustain DNA evidence so that the perpetrator may be brought to justice.
Below, we share an insightful infographic that serves to educate you about the heightened risks of sexual assault whilst you are under the influence of alcohol.
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