Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Bianca Knows Best ... And Helps a Horny Roommate
Posted by Bianca Phillips on Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 11:05 AM
My female roommate takes Ambien to sleep. Every couple of nights, she sleepwalks into my bedroom naked and aggressively tries to have sex with me. Tthe next day, she has no memory of it. Zilch. She thanks me for tossing her back into her own room (but she's not embarrassed or concerned enough to stop taking Ambien).
I don't have a bedroom door, so there's no locking her out. And she has a semi-boyfriend. She's hot. I'm horny. Obviously, I'd use a condom. Can this scenario play out in my, and possibly her, favor?
— Sleepless Roommate
Dear Sleepless,
I’m going to tell you what I’ve told so many letter-writers before you — keep it in your pants. Sleeping with your roommate will only cause problems the next day. I don’t know if this scenario would legally be considered rape, but the fact that she wouldn’t remember a thing means you’d be taking advantage of her.
I once watched an episode of 48 Hours Investigates, in which some teen guys had sex with a very drunk girl at a party. She didn’t remember a thing, but the guys stupidly videotaped the ordeal. The tape got leaked, and though they claimed she was willing, the teens were charged with rape. Don’t put yourself in that situation. However, you may be able to use the situation to her advantage. And it does involve a video camera.
According to a March 2006 article in The Washington Post, sleepwalking is a very rare side effect of the popular sleep aid, Ambien. The article stated that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had received reports of people eating and even driving while sleepwalking on the drug. Some incidents, the article stated, have led to criminal charges.
But Sanofi-Aventis, the makers of Ambien, claim these incidents are uncommon. Most common side effects include diarrhea, dizziness, and headaches. It sounds like your roommate ought to consult her doctor about switching sleep aids. You say she isn’t concerned enough to stop taking the drug, but maybe her sleepwalking sexcapades could work in her favor here.
The next time she comes enters your room naked, have your video camera ready. A voice recorder or still camera would also work. But make sure you record her behavior. Be certain, of course, to refuse any of her advances.
The next day, when she’s thanking you for tossing her back into her own room, break out the recording from the previous night. She may be quite embarrassed at what she sees. If that doesn’t lead her to change sleep aids, I don’t know what will.
Of course, you’ll also want to let her erase the video or pictures so they don’t accidentally end up on YouTube.
Got a problem? E-mail Bianca at bphillips@memphisflyer.com.
Comments (10)
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It's just sitting there waiting to be said. Anyone? Anyone at all? Sigh. All right, I guess it's me then: "Talk about a rock and a hard place."
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Thats spooky stuff man...what if she goes from horny to violent? Get a door dude!
I'm no lawyer, but I'd say videotaping her or photographing her sleepwalking naked might get roomie is a spot of trouble, especially if said photos/videos get out somehow.
If the fact that he has to forcefully eject Her Ambien-Zombie Nakedness from the bedroom doesn't inspire her to stop taking Ambien, I would be inclined to wonder if Ambien weren't a convenient excuse for her behavior. She wouldn't be the first person to blame her loose morals on drink or drugs and claim to have no memory of the happy occassion. Most sane people, upon learning they are doing dangerous things while sleepwalking, will try to stop themselves from sleepwalking. So whether she's shielding her conscience with tales of Ambien-inspired sleepshagging, or she just doesn't care, she's definitely mental. If dude doesn't have a door, I recommend stacking empty beer cans in front of his door every night - at least until he finds a new apartment.
Have you tried suggesting to her to, um, NOT sleep naked? Or is there a disrobing problem along with the sleepwalking?
Also, I know a family who had some kids that would sleepwalk so they went to the store and picked up some motion-activated alarms. They are tiny little things that can be mounted to any wall, door, etc and if you walk in front of it, it trips the sensor and makes an awful, high-pitched waiting noise. Maybe she could put on of these in her room to set at night in hopes of waking herself up before wandering into an embarrassing situation.
And along the same lines of Jeff's reply - if she is aware of this and isn't willing to do anything to make it stop then maybe you do need to have a talk about her "liking" this sort of behavior.
Um... is there some reason why he can't just ask her to have sex with him while she's awake? That would sort of solve everything, wouldn't it?
Ambien lists a lot of side effects, including addiction and suicidal ideation, along with aggressive and bizarre behavior.
She needs to be letting a doctor get her a different sleep aid.
I don’t know if this scenario would legally be considered rape...
Yes it would. Under the influence of Ambien, the woman in this scenario would not be consenting to sex.
Len - "Yes it would. Under the influence of Ambien, the woman in this scenario would not be consenting to sex."
"...aggressively tries to have sex with me."
Who would be raping whom?
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