Before entering college as a freshman a little over a year ago, my mom did her best to warn me about the dangers of going out and partying. Her most reiterated advice for me was to never drink out of any cup that left my side for even a second. Like most advice from her, I somewhat disregarded it. Moms are always just paranoid anyway, right? Well, maybe they aren’t always as delusional about the dangers of the world as we think they are.

Slipping drugs into others’ drinks is one of most common ways someone sets their plan to commit date rape, a term used to describe a rape that occurs between people that were acquaintances and possibly had a romantic relationship before the rape. According to the United States Department of Justice, date rapes account for 73 percent of all rapes. In addition to this, in 2001, a study by Ralph Hingson and Elissa Weitzman reported 97,000 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 were victims in that year alone. The danger is real, prevalent and unsettling, to put it lightly.

The top three drugs used in date rape are MDMA, Rohypnol and ketamine.

MDMA is a strong stimulant that is often referred to as “ecstasy” or “Molly.” Users said they experience a feeling of closeness with others while under the influence of MDMA, as well as a desire to touch them. Negatively, there are also reports of confusion, severe anxiety and blurred vision during and sometimes weeks after use. When combined with alcohol, as it commonly in date rape situations, MDMA can be fatal.

Rohypnol is considered the date rape drug of choice, physically incapacitating the victim and impairing their judgment. It also leads to confusion and memory loss, a seemingly perfect overall combination for date rape culprits to utilize.

Loss of body control, numbness and hallucinations are all effects that ketamine can have on a person. While it does have a strong bitter flavor, ketamine works so quickly that upon tasting it, victims may only have a few seconds before losing consciousness.

Because the date rape drugs typically lead to sever memory loss, it can be hard for victims to know for sure if they have been date raped or not. Red flags that suggest date rape has occurred include waking up feeling disoriented and hungover, remembering having a drink but having no memory after that, finding your clothes are torn or not on right and feeling like you may have had sex but can’t remember it. If any of those are applicable, the best thing to do is make an effort not to clean yourself in any way, go to the hospital and call the police. While facing the reality of what may have happened can be hard, taking these steps better ensure that justice, if needed, will be served and that other potential victims can be protected.

Luckily, there are products designed to aid in the prevention of date rape, including straws and glasses that change colors when they come into contact with common date rape drugs. The latest invention to get attention, though has not yet been released, is Undercover Colors, a line of nail polish that changes color when dipped into a contaminated drink. The idea behind the product is to give women in particular a more convenient, stylish way to stay safe.

However, some argue against products made to prevent date rape. Guardian columnist, Jessica Valenti, is one of those people, claiming the products leave room for victim-blaming in cases where they aren’t used. While I can easily imagine someone somewhere blaming victims who weren’t careful enough to invest in preventative measure against date rape, I disagree that the products shouldn’t be on the market or that they are problematic. The issue does not lie within the products, which can save many from having to go through such a traumatic experience, the issue lies within the victim-blaming society that we are a part of. Enabling people to be better able to protect themselves from being attacked is the most important thing, in my opinion.

Although Undercover Colors’ line isn’t yet available, drinksavvy.com offers the less cute, but still fully functional, color-changing glasses and straws.