Without becoming a nun, there are some things you can do to lessen your risk:

• No matter how nice a guy seems, be wary of spending time alone with him until you get to know him better. Group dates have become the collegiate standard, anyway.
• Remember that you can always say no, even if you have had sex with the guy before.
• Four out of five rapists are unarmed. Learn how to fight back.
• Learn about the effects of alcohol and "date rape drugs." Keep reading.

Know Your Limits

• Men: if a woman is drunk or high, do not get sexual with her. Period. Neither "I was drunk" or "she was drunk" is going to hold up as a defense in court.
• Women: don't try to drink like the guys. A 140 pound woman has less water in her body than a 140 pound man, which means the booze raises the woman's blood alcohol level faster and takes longer to leave the woman's body. In short, women get drunk faster and stay drunk longer than men, even if they're the same size. If you're small, you're even more vulnerable to alcohol's effects.
• Know how much booze is in what you're drinking. Lots of things are more alcoholic than they taste, including hard cider, fruity cocktails like Fuzzy Navels, and jello shots. Even wine coolers can get you sloshed if you drink enough of them.
• If you don't want to drink, but you want to look like you're drinking, carrying around the same drink all night does work.

You've probably heard of rohypnol, "the date rape drug," aka roofies, roaches, r2, rope, Mexican valium, ruffies, etc. How does it work? The rapist dissolves some tablets in a drink and give it to the victim, who is affected within 20 to 30 minutes. The victim often becomes extremely dazed, passes out, and suffers amnesia. The effects are intensified when roofies are mixed with alcohol.

Skeptical? Don't be. 90% of all rapes are planned.

• If you drink, drink only out of containers you open yourself. Get one of those bottle-opener keychains, and hang onto your drink at all times.
• You can sometimes spot roofies because they make alcoholic drinks taste slightly bitter, can turn light-colored drinks blue, and may make the drink somewhat chunky. However, it is colorless and odorless, so don't rely on these roofie-spotting techniques to keep you safe.
• Think you or a friend got roofies in your drink? Get somewhere safe and call the hospital immediately. You can be tested for it for the next 48 hours.

Roofies aren't the only drugs that can be used to make you pass out. Special K, often ingested voluntarily, can cause unconsciousness and has also been associated with rape. The drug GHB has many of the same effects of roofies, too.