I do not presume to know what a person goes through who has been falsely accused of rape because I have never met one. For those who presume it is just as bad as rape, I hope you heard from victims of both rape and false accusation. The victims of rape I have worked with suffer differing consequences based on the person and the circumstances of the rape. Some suffer nightmares at least weekly decades later. Others commit suicide. Some are fired from their employment, disowned by their family, murdered, stalked, shunned, and harassed. Some attempt therapy; others are subject to civil commitment. Some become addicted to drugs and alcohol in an effort to forget. Others develop a variety of sexual disorders. Some face agonizing decisions as a result of pregnancy by rape. Others endure a variety a health concerns including STDs, eating disorders, HIV/AIDS, sleep disorders, etc. Some even live fairly normal lives eventually. Some carry physical and/or emotional scars for life. All are always presumed to be liars; that is why the majority of them never file criminal or civil charges.
I think the problem we are having in this thread is that people are viewing things from the extreme ends of the spectrum. Do some rape victims go through many of the struggles above; absolutely and I have seen some of it first hand. Similarly, I have seen people who have had there lives ruined by false allegations. People who have lost their friends, businesses, family only to be "vindicated" later. However, they can never shed the label of sex offender. However both of those examples probably make up less than 10 percent of these cases.
Normally it always starts with "well we were all out drinking......." whether it is coming from the defendant or the alleged victim. Finally, if you believe that rape victims are always presumed liars you live in a different world. In my experience law enforcement, nurses, prosecutors and advocates go out of their way to give every accuser the benefit of the doubt.