St. Patrick’s Day Drugging
Like any respectable over 21 Bostonian (well, townie suburbanite south of Boston) on St Patrick’s Day I have a Commonwealth responsibility to uphold by honoring a watering hole and taking down a pint or two of beer, preferably Irish.
My choice is Guinness, as is most Bostonians on this day. Lucky for me the bar’s tap I attended in Boston flowed endless.
HOLIDAY BAR PREPARATION 101: Proper planning goes a long way 😉
Now, understand this day I did live my life normally.
4-6 organic and tailored meals to my physique and fitness goals with about 1-1½ gallons of water consumed throughout the course of the day.
I even had myself a little interval session about 2 hours before my first sip of Guinness at 8pm.
ROB’S INTERVAL WORKOUT:
Sled Sprints : 90-225 pounds x 25 yards x 11 sets
Active Recovery between Sprints : Superman’s : 60 seconds AMRAP
The above workout took me about 15 minutes.
After my training session I instructed a group personal training class for 45 minutes at my private fitness studio in Marshfield, changed, and headed to Boston across from Boston Garden.
Now this is when the night still feels familiar.
I enjoyed some conversation with one of the regular’s at the bar, which was packed of course, being Thursday night, Boston, and Saint Patrick’s Day. We threw a few Guinness back together and then he proceeded home. In fact, I also indulged in this delicious corned beef dinner with my few beers.
Straight up Celtic-Bostonian traditional!
Then, as what usually occurs at a bar when I venture out, girls began having conversation with me. Mind you, I do not approach women. It’s not my style. I hang out and let people flow in and out of my space. In fact, I wasn’t even trying to entertain women seeing that I’m sort of involved right now.
Well these two girls decided to spend their evening engaged in conversation with me. Each trying to out-due the other as if one were better.
NOW HERE’S WHERE THE NIGHT IS NOT-SO-NORMAL.
I get up to use the bathroom. Normal.
I leave my beer on the bar at this establishment. Normal.
It is left with my friend bartending behind the bar. Normal.
It is left with two girls sitting next to my drink at the bar. Sort of normal.
I come back from the bar having a few more sips of familiar Guinness.
Meanwhile still texting friends who may be coming to meet me at the bar as I had been doing the previous two and a half hours.
I look at the clock it’s 11:04pm, gave myself a midnight curfew so I could be at my fitness studio to lead another group personal training class at 5:30am.
I look at the clock it’s 4:58am, according to my IRONMAN TRIATHLON wristwatch.
Just before I saw the clock I opened my eyes to see that there is vomit everywhere in my car, I am freezing. Thankfully not the type who panics I reference my memory to understand how this happened.
MY MIND IS BLANK.
Completely VACANT.
I quickly text my instructor-on-call and let her know that I can not make it to class on time and ask if she could lead it for me. Thankfully she says yes.
I attempt to operate my car home and sadly I can merely handle 40mph between the breakdown and the slow lane on I-93 south and Rt-3 south towards my residence in Pembroke.
The entire travel trying to understand what went wrong, how much I drank, who let me leave this way, knowing this isn’t normal for myself and hoping that I arrive safely.
I get home some 50 minutes later crashing into my bed; feeling awful, unnatural, and completely unhealthy. I know there must be some drug in my system at this point because I have not had a hangover in 15 years practically. This is FAR different.
I set my alarm for 8am to try and salvage part of my studio sessions that day (Friday).
I have the craziest dreams. So vivid, so real, it’s almost hard to believe they are not.
I awake, 10:53am, alarm sounding off, ridiculously late, dozens of missed phone calls and text messages from friends and clients.
I fall back asleep near 11:30am and reawaken at 1:40pm.
That’s near 12 hours of sleep for someone who averages 3-4 commonly. Seven hours on an occasional lucky day.
Until 6pm that evening I felt hazed. I could not even perform quick toe raises without the feeling of my brain meeting a sledgehammer quickly dismantling my every thought.
One of the worst effects from being “ruffied” is losing the desire to drink fluids and eat. I went hours before I could put any water in my stomach. Forcing down an organic navel orange took 15-20 minutes. I lost all appetite, but knew it was crucial to begin healing my body efficiently.
Now the next morning I woke up, made myself a frozen strawberry, frozen blueberry and frozen blackberries (all organic fruits) shake with low carb protein powder, had my multivitamin and a niacin capsule and headed to the St. Patrick’s Brant Rock 5k being held in Marshfield (office zip : Brant Rock) next to Arthur & Pat’s restaurant. I arrived with some of my dearest and favorite training family/clients. I ran a decent 21:27 (6:42/mile). Came in 42nd overall out of 1651 runners.
Not too shabby for a kid who had just been drugged with no control over his body just a day earlier.
After the run I headed to my fitness studio, Robert Belley Fitness, and punished my body with a 51 minute intensive session. Just for kicks, here’s my workout below:
A1) Outward Press 6-8
A2) DB Row 4-6
A3) Back Squat 7-9
A4) Weighted Pull-Ups 3-5
1 Sledge Hammer 75 sec
2 Box Jumps 45 sec
B1) Rack Pulls 5-8
B2) Bench Press (||) 3-5
B3) Clean 6-8
B4) X-Over Lunge 3-5
1 Hanging Leg Raise Hold
2 Plank
It was tough but good.
After my second workout I went home and continued to dig a fire pit my roommate Dominic started in the backyard. Nothing like open fire on the lake during the warmer seasons.
Now why on Earth would I do all this despite being hung over still from the rufilin (Rohypnol)? Because f**k that guy who drugged me that’s why.
I refuse to let someone feel they have the upper hand on me. And to be honest, if it were in a manner of legit ability I’m cool with that. But when someone cheats or tries to under hand I lose it. Very few things in life can do this to me but that is one of my peeves.
And honestly, this has long been my stance: if caught with Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam)or similar substance on their persons distributing or implementing it, should be a minimum 5-10 year sentence.
There is only intent to control another, dismantle their ability to function, stand, walk, remember, have choice, have freedom and protect themselves. It’s truly horrifying what a drug like that can do to someone’s life. I could have died in my attempt to save myself into my car. I could’ve been hit by an oncoming vehicle crossing the busy intersections of Boston, or fell and nailed my head off a curb or edge.
It is a central nervous system depressant in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are sedative-hypnotics used to treat anxiety, insomnia and sleep disorders, and seizure disorders; they are also used as skeletal-muscle relaxants.
above from http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/rohypnol.pdffrom http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/roof_01.htm
Rohypnol has been prescribed as an effective sleeping pill and is also used as a sedative and preanesthetic medication in some countries. The effects of flunitrazepam are fairly long-acting. When combined with alcohol or other drugs, Rohypnol can impair judgment and motor skills and cause memory loss or blackouts (lasting 8 to 24 hours after ingestion). Loss of inhibition can also occur, with or without alcohol. A person under the influence of Rohypnol can appear to be drunk, display no coordination, blood-shot eyes and slurred speech.Sedation can occur as soon as 20 minutes after ingestion. The drug’s effects will peak within 2 hours and may persist for up to 8 hours or more, depending on the dosage. Other adverse effects associated with flunitrazepam include visual disturbances, drowsiness, confusion, decreased blood pressure, memory impairment, gastrointestinal disturbances and urinary retention. When mixed with alcohol, Rohypnol may cause respiratory depression, aspiration or even death. Although classified as a depressant, Rohypnol can rarely induce excitability or aggressive behavior
Again, I did not know I did this or that I left because under this drug you have no abilities or control of your actions.
EVERYTHING IS VACANT.
My driver’s side door is keyed literally over 20 times because I can tell that I must’ve been on my knees, fallen next to my car trying to crawl into it and repeatedly missing the door lock. The scratches travel all the way south along the panel to the bottom of the door. There are key scratches and gouges all around the key lock within 18 inches. That’s how uncoordinated you become on this drug.
It’s deadly and absolutely abusive to do this to someone.
Thank god I did not drive my vehicle under that condition and had the sense to just sit, lock myself in, and throw the keys on the passenger area as to not reach easily. If I had driven I would’ve killed someone or myself potentially. And most likely it would’ve appeared as drunk-driving although it was obviously the furthest from.
Placing someone’s life in a position where they have absolutely no control over it through a chemical means is attempted murder. No doubt.
You have no way to predict what will happen next to that individual while they react or behave under said influence. I could’ve been beaten in the street for bumping into the wrong headstrong person that night and woken up in an alley stabbed, murdered and robbed. Who knows?
The possibilities under that influence are devastating.
AND THANK GOD IT HAPPENED TO ME AND NOT A WOMAN THAT NIGHT AT THE BAR.
At least I’m a durable, strong metabolism, calm individual under said situation who can take a load of abuse before something would ever give. I can only imagine others may have gone to the hospital, stomach pumped, or been raped or robbed or…
I’m fortunate it happened to me and not to a female at the bar. I hope.
So please, if anything, always hold your drink in your hand. Even if you’re somewhere you feel safe and know people do not let your hands off of your drink.
It’s rare for guys to be ruffied but when there are jealous and insecure people around anything can happen to confident individuals as myself. Just be careful.
Rob
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One thought on “St. Patrick’s Day Drugging”
Liz DonnellyPosted on 12:50 pm - Mar 23, 2011
Rob-
What an incredibly scary and violating experience! Thank heaven you have your fitness to back up this traumatic situation for your body. Imagine if you were half as fit as you are or half as knowledgeable about how to feed and hydrate your body despite not wanting to eat or drink.
What you sustained is abuse and malevolence. There is a good lesson here and a tragic realization that there are people out there who do not appreciate the sacredness of human life.
I am so glad you are alive and well!! This could have been fatal. (Time to thank your guardian angel.) 🙂
Keep those fires burning and thanks for sharing this incredible event!
-Liz