Teen Safety First: Shawn Kilgarlin Educates on Date Rape Drug Testing and Awareness

Shawn Kilgarlin serves as the Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product Development at American Screening Corporation which manufactures and distributes Drug Testing Devices and Medical Supplies. ASC was founded in the year 2004 by Shawn Kilgarlin and her husband Ron Kilgarlin in Louisiana, Shreveport.

Shawn Kilgarlin is an eminent multifaceted personality and she is an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, Writer (ghost writer), Philanthropist,  MDSAP Consultant and Drug Testing Manufacturer. Apart from her profession, Shawn is involved in Creative Pursuits, Charitable Work and nurturing her children and family.

Shawn Kilgarlin has authored a book on ‘PAST TENSE’ along with her husband Ron Kilgarlin. The book enriches the mind of the readers with 365 Daily tools for putting stress behind for good. Shawn Kilgarlin is also involved in educating teen age safety by creating awareness among the teenage girls on protecting themselves from date drugs.

Date Rape

Rape is when someone has a sexual act with a girl without her consent. In the case of a date rape, the girl is aware of the one who raped her. Many a times the girls are given drugs or alcohol and then raped in such a way they may not be able to stop it. Hence teen age girls should be aware of date drugs to protect themselves against rape. Moreover the parents should also educate their teen age girls about this danger and teach them to prevent date rape and protect themselves.

Understanding Date Rape Drugs

A Date-Rape drug is an abused substance which is used to sexually assault a person. After consuming this drug one may get confused, dizzy and may not know what is happening to her. The term used for such an action is called “Roofied” where a person is sexually tortured after giving a drug.

One of the drugs is Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) which is a strong benzodiazepine, also known as Mexican Valium and it is a tranquilizer. The second one is Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) which is a depressant and also called as Georgia home boy, liquid X and liquid ecstasy. Another date drug is Ketamine which is a psychedelic drug that makes a person to have illusion. It is also called as Special K, vitamin K, and cat Valium. Ketamine is also used as anaesthesia by medical surgeons.

Alcohol is also used as a date drug. It is also called as a spiked drink which includes Mickey Finn also. The other less used date drugs are Chloral Hydrate, Club drugs (Ecstasy, Gamma-butyrolactone and LSD). Some legal drugs which are used to relieve anxiety like Ambien, Klonopin, Valium and Xanax are also misused as date drugs.

Effects of Drugs

Rohypnol affects central nervous system and causes loss of control so that one cannot stand or walk. Also it makes one unconscious.

GHB causes memory loss, sleepiness and weakness. An overdose can slow the heartbeat and breathing and result in coma.

Ketamine produces hallucination, stomach disorder, vomiting, high blood pressure and increases the heartbeat.

Alcohol affects clear thinking, movement of muscles, speaking and decision making.

In U.S. the statistics shows that nearly 20% of teens are date raped and suffer due to the after effect. Around 27% of young adults are victims of date rape which affects them mentally and physically too. Hence it is high time that teens should be educated about the drugs and about the consequences and should be empowered to protect themselves.

 Recognizing the Signs and Risks

It is very important to know the after effects and signs of consuming date drugs. This helps the teenagers to be alert during dating and get to gather. One may feel hangover and dizzy or fuzzy memory. Clothes may be stained, torn or not proper and one may not remember what happened. Sometimes the affected person may find them to be naked or wearing someone else’s dress. Some girls feel thirsty and sore but may not be able to recollect anything. At times there is bruise or cut in the physique along with unbearable pain.

Hence teenagers must be warned of avoiding certain parties or to be alert under such situations. Especially while attending parties in hotels, clubs or friends houses teens should know how to protect themselves. While attending parties hosted only by youngsters, they should be alert about the drinks or water they consume if they are not clear, fizzy or tasting salty. Moreover the teens should avoid going alone to parties or clubs and may choose to go with their trustworthy friends. Also they should be very cautious while choosing their friends and while meeting strangers. Teens should avoid drinking from open containers and limit the quantity of their drinks.

Shawn Kilgarlin’s Advocacy and Educational Efforts

Shawn Kilgarlin involves in community programmes to raise awareness regarding teen safety through her lectures and writing. Shawn joins the neighbouring women community to give guidance and counselling to mothers on bringing up their teenage children teaching them about sexual activities, rape and how to protect them. Shawn concentrates on sharing her insights with the community teenagers on how to identify unsafe places and how to be cautious and prevent date raping. She creates awareness on how to avoid strangers while partying or at clubs and how to say no to drinks offered by unknown people.

Shawn Kilgarlin has made videos on awareness for teen protection, where she advises teens to select their friends carefully and also to be cautious about the people whom they are partying. She has taught the teen about the drugs which are mixed with the drinks to make them dizzy or unconscious. This awareness is very helpful for the young adults to protect themselves against sexual crimes.

Shawn joins with the neighbouring colleges in Social Marketing Campaigns to prevent date rapes. This initiative concentrates on Knowledge about sexual crimes, Attitude modification, Intentions to participate in awareness programmes and Behavioural changes to prevent date rapes.

Moreover Shawn distributes Free Pregnancy Confirmation Kits and Ovulation prediction Kits of American Screening Corporation to teen age girls and young adults to check themselves for any unexpected and accidental pregnancy. The neighbouring community is very thankful to Shawn for her initiative to protect the teens.

Date Rape Drug Testing and Prevention

American Screening Corporation is the leading supplier of high quality drug testing kits for Date Rape. This test is carried out with human sample like urine, blood and hair to detect drugs like Rohypnol, GHB, and Ketamine. If detected in the victim’s sample, then it is proved that the victim is drugged without his knowledge and sexually assaulted. The victim can seek justice and above all this test creates awareness for teens who do not wish to undergo testing due to shame or fear.

ASC’s Urine Drug Test Cups are a very good solution for date rape testing. If the victim is forced to take drugs, then the chemicals and their metabolites are present in the urine. This test uses enzymes, antibodies and immunoassay techniques to identify the drugs. ASC offers 2 Panel to 21 Panel urine drug cups for testing. ASC’s Urine Drug Test Cups are available at 10% discount and starts from $1.50 each.

ASC manufactured Urine drug test Dip Cards are also used for detecting the drugs taken by the victim. In this method the urine sample is collected in the cup and Urine drug test Dip cards are immersed into the urine for 5 seconds. Then cover the strip and check for the results after 5 minutes. Two lines in the display indicate a negative result and a single colour band indicates a positive result. ASC’s Urine Drug Test 12 Panel Dip Cards are available at 10% discount and starts from a very low cost of $2.18 each.

ASC manufactured Alcohol Test Strips are also used to detect alcohol from the victim’s body. The alcohol test strip is inserted into the urine specimen and after 15 seconds it is taken out and dried on a flat and clean surface. Then after 3 minutes the results can be read. ASC’s Alcohol Urine Drug Test Strips are available at 10% discount and starts from a very low cost of $0.47 each.

The Urine Drug Test Cup, Urine Drug Testing Dip Card and Urine Alcohol Test Strip can be ordered  in bulk or in small quantities. To meet your specific volume needs, custom configurations are available on all American Screening Corp’s test strips.

For bulk ordering and volume discounts please call us at (866) 526-2873 or email us at [email protected]

Preventive Measures:

• The teens should go out only with people whom they know for a long time.
• They should limit the quantity of their drinking and never drink from an open container.
• Should go for parties where they feel safe and should leave the place immediately when they do not feel comfortable.
• Should not accept anything to eat or drink from strangers.
• Get the help of friends if feeling dizzy.

Role of Parents and Educators:

Parents play a crucial role in creating awareness in their teenage children regarding date rape. Teens should learn about sexual activity, gender different perceptions, peer pressure and acquaintance rape. There should be open communication between parents and teenagers where they should talk about family and teenager values. It is the duty of the parents to fix a specific time for chatting friendly with the teen children and to prepare the list of crucial points to be discussed. The educators also should allocate time to offer guidance and awareness to teenage children and young adults regarding date rape and should also provide them with counselling periodically. They can also involve in Social Marketing Campaign to help and teach young adults about sexual crimes. It is the duty of the educators to create a comfortable and friendly atmosphere so that the teens would approach them easily in case of doubt or problem.

Resources and Support

When teens report sexual assault, it is very crucial to extend support and guide them to take legal action. Report the crime as early as possible and find out the assaulter. One can contact the below given link to get further help and guidance.

National Sexual Assault Hotline, a confidential free 24×7 hotline for one-on-one crisis support. Call 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online

The North Carolina Coalition against Sexual Assault (NCCASA) is a state-wide alliance working to end sexual violence through education, advocacy, and legislation.

Conclusion

The teenagers and young adults should be guided regarding date rape and the precautions to be taken to avoid date rape and protect themselves. They should be aware of the drugs used to rape the teens and preventive measures. The parents and educators should teach the teenagers about the date rape and instruct them to spread the information to their friends and classmates. Also inform them about the helplines and support groups available.

Shawn Kilgarlin quotes, “It is the right of every youth to grow up happy, healthy and safely. They deserve to develop knowledge and skills to decide about their sexual safety and health.”