Fact Sheet 5 – Consent under the influence: scripts and safeguards

Objective

• Put consent at the center without preaching.

• Provide ready-to-use phrases (check-in, withdrawal, STOP).

• Set up concrete safeguards (buddy, rules, exit) when impairment (stims/GHB, dissociation, fatigue) makes consent fragile.

When to use it?

• When the person mentions situations that are blurry, ambivalent, "I'm not so sure", regrets.

• When there are warning signs: pressure, dissociation, blackouts, memory loss, GHB/GBL, slam, unfamiliar group.

• When the question of consent appears in the background of a trauma (without forcing the narrative).

Duration: 5–10 minutes.

1) Simple principles (psychoeducation)

• Consent is specific (to what, with whom, now) and reversible (can be withdrawn at any time).

• Under the influence of substances, saying "yes" can become automatic: we compensate with rules.

• Consent is a safety condition, not "good behavior".

2) Ready-to-use scripts

A) Starting the discussion (without causing guilt)

• « Under substances, it can become difficult to feel your limits. We can talk about it to increase your safety. »

• « When you think back to a night out, were there any moments that were not very clear or not really OK ? »

B) Check-in (during)

• « Are we still OK? »

• « Do you want to keep going like this or change? »

• « Pause for 30 seconds: how do you feel right now? »

C) Withdrawal / break (simple and applicable)

• « No, right now. »

• « Pause. »

• « I'm going to the restroom / to get some water, I need a breather. »

• « I don't feel safe anymore, let's stop. »

D) STOP (safe-word)

• « If I say STOP, it means: we stop / we get out. No discussion. »

• « STOP = safety. Even if I seem contradictory at the time. »

E) If pressured / insisted

• « I told you no. If you insist, I'm leaving. »

• « This doesn't work for me. I'm stopping here. »

• « If you want to continue, it will be without me. »

3) Concrete safeguards (to check off)

☐ Buddy (sober or "stable") informed of the safe-word
☐ Rule: "if blurry / fear / pressure → STOP + exit"
☐ Check-in every X minutes (e.g., 30–60 min)
☐ "No new partners / no new locations" when craving is high
☐ Avoid high-risk situations for loss of control (fatigue, isolation, GHB, redosing)

4) Afterward: debriefing without pressure

• « Do you remember clearly? »

• « Did you feel free to say no? »

• « If we replay the scene: at what point did things shift? »

5) Situations requiring a strengthened framework / referral

• Amnesia, blackouts, "weird" awakening, suspicion of GHB/GBL

• Pain / injuries, bleeding, major post-event anxiety symptoms

• Fear of going home, threats, coercion, feeling of assault

• Dissociation, suicidal ideation, persistent confusion

📌 In immediate danger: 15 / 112.

📌 Need support: CeGIDD / support groups / filing a complaint if desired / post-exposure prophylaxis.