Associations between Drug and Alcohol Use and Sexual Assault Crimes

There is a direct association between drug and alcohol use and sexual assault. According to A self-reported study among female campus students by Krebs et al., (2009), there is a link between college women’s alcohol and, or drug use and the risk of sexual assault. The authors gathered information about sexual assault victimization through a cross-sectional internet survey and analyzed the role of substance use. The findings show that nearly 20 % of female college students experienced some complete sexual assault. Most sexual assaults occurred after women knowingly and willingly consumed alcohol and other drugs. According to Krebs et al., some assaults involved students taking drugs and alcohol without their knowledge.
The authors note that there is mounting evidence of a link between victims’ substance abuse and sexual assault (Krebs et al., 2009). Data from an alcohol and drug survey conducted nationally revealed that 82% of students who had unsolicited sexual encounters were influenced by alcohol and other drugs (Olszewski, 2009). The authors also suggest that women who were new to the college experience; for instance, first- and second-year students, have a higher risk of sexual assault when compared to women who had more college experience, such as juniors and seniors (Olszewski, 2009). Alcohol is the psychoactive drug most frequently and historically associated with sexual opportunistic behavior and assault globally because it makes victims too drunk to consent. However, levels of recreational use and growing drug markets offer new opportunities for sexual offenders to incapacitate a victim that is faster and less expensive than alcohol.