Olympian Oksana Grishuk Drugged With GHB
Former ice dancer and two-time Olympic champion Oksana Grishuk was allegedly drugged with the date-rape drug GHB about a month ago, and is coming forward with her story in hopes it will help someone else:
Oksana Grishuk, who skated for Russia and won Olympic gold in 1994 and 1998 with ice dance partner Evgeny Platov, tells PEOPLE she was having a dinner meeting last month with a business acquaintance she had known for two years at the St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, in Dana Point, Calif., to discuss developing a vitamin and nutrition line.
She says she started feeling lightheaded over dinner after drinking from the second of two glasses of alcohol that police investigators later told her had been laced with “a common date-rape drug.”
“I felt my body having the shakes, I was feeling cold and my lips felt numb and there was a burning sensation in my chest,” she says.
Paramedics were called to the scene and rushed her to a nearby hospital where Grishuk, 36, was treated and released. [...]
Apparently both glasses of wine were laced with the drug:
Police found residue on the first glass and collected the pill from the second drink, and preliminary reports indicate that both glasses were drugged, Amorino said. Police also are testing Grishuk’s blood.
She had the first drink in the hotel lounge, and it was after finishing her second drink, a glass of red wine, in the restaurant, that she noticed a small pill at the bottom and alertly notified the manager. Police have ruled out that any hotel employee was involved in the incident.
Grishuk says she first suspected something was wrong when she noticed her glass of red wine turning cloudy. “He kept pushing me to drink,” she said of the acquaintance. “But I’m not a drinker. It was a meeting and I wanted to stay alert.”
Grishuk wants to alert other women to the danger of date rape drugs and warned it could happen to anyone at anytime, she says.
“I was very lucky,” she says. “I was in a public bar and restaurant and never left my drink,” she says, thinking she must have been drugged while looking away from the table. “That’s very scary. Always keep an eye on your glass.”
Outside of becoming a hermit and never going out in public, there’s really no way to totally protect oneself from something like this happening, but you can minimize the chances by always watching your drink (whatever that drink may be), keeping an eye on your companions, and not becoming so inebriated that you aren’t fully aware of the circumstances around you. You can also be aware of the effects a drug like this can have on your system so you can recognize the signs:
What are its short-term effects?
At lower doses, GHB can relieve anxiety and produce relaxation.Combining use with other drugs such as alcohol can result in nausea and difficulty breathing.GHB may also produce withdrawal effects, including insomnia, anxiety, tremors, and sweating.What are its long-term effects?
As the dose increases, the sedative effects may result in sleep and eventual coma or death. GHB has reportedly been used in cases of date rape. Because GHB is odorless and tasteless, it can be slipped into someone’s drink without detection.
Always be aware, and if you suspect anything is wrong, get help immediately.
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I hope the person who did this gets what he deserves while in the pokey, if you know what I mean.
Comment by D — May 5, 2008 @ 9:03 am
Oksana was and is a brilliant athlete, entertainer, and competitor. I hope for nothing but the best for her and am very glad she went public with this story, hopefully it will raise awareness.
Good luck Oksana
Comment by skatingfan — May 5, 2008 @ 11:06 am