The Chronicles of Loving A Heroin Addict: Overdose

Showing posts with label Overdose. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

OVERDOSE AWARENESS: Calling For Help Is Not A Crime

Image result for Good Samaritan Law Heroin

The real tragedy is that many of these deaths could have been prevented!

West Virginia now has a 9-1-1 Good Samaritan Law protecting those who try to save the life of a person who has overdosed.

911 Good Samaritan Law: Preventing Overdose Deaths and Saving Lives

Do you know the signs of an overdose? Do you know what to do in case of an emergency?

First call 9-1-1.
Administer Narcan or Naloxone If you have it on hand
Start Recovery measures

What to do in an overdose emergency
If you have a substance abuse problem please call...

Help4WV

pic from: The Marchman Act
pic from: Help4WV

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Friends Don't Let Friends Die

Overdose Awareness

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Drug Overdose and Preventable Death

I just heard on a news report that in this country overdose deaths are exceeding the number of car crash fatalities. When I heard that report given first it was of no surprise really. I thought, WOW that is just the craziest because accidental overdose death are preventable.

Currently here in Berkeley County

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

National Overdose Awareness

Starting today it is likely that you will see a lot of Facebook Pages lit up Purple for this month. August 31st is International Overdose Prevention Awareness Day.

In my opinion, everyday should be overdose prevention awareness day. I gave a lot of my ribbons away on July 23rd at our meetup. One lady asked for twenty to give to those she knew so they too can rock the purple ribbon.

Just the fact that people are still overdosing on heroin here in my town and people are still dying here in my town indicates we still have a lot of work to do here in Berkeley County and Martinsburg, WV.

The stigma of this disease is still alive and kicking here in this county and city. I have talked to so many people here. There are those who have lost a loved one. There are those going through this with someone they love.

Then there are those who haven't even gotten here yet.

Rock'in Recovery

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The Signs of a Heroin Overdose

Do you know the signs of an overdose? Do you know what to do?
Call 9-1-1 Immediately!
If you don't carry Narcan/Naloxone call 9-1-1 immediately. You can also try to help the person by starting some rescue breathing techniques while waiting for the ambulance.
One technique is to turn the person on their left side in the recovery position. Push in on the side of their chest over their lungs to push air into their lungs.
If you are comfortable doing CPR on the person, if there is no pulse by all means start CPR. If you get a pulse, turn them on their side in the recovery position and proceed with the rescue breathing technique until help arrives.
Keep them in the recovery position. The person will likely throw up. The recovery position is to prevent aspiration.

More Information on the Recovery Position

Heroin Overdose App for phone

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

OVERDOSE ALERT? There's An App For Heroin Users

Did you know there is an app that may be of interest to those using as well as to those who love someone using and abusing heroin. This is a special app for heroin users that sends out an alert that you may have overdosed.

It is available in the Google App Store and is called Remote Egg Timer Dope Safe.

The app developer is currently working on making the app detect movement of the phone, which he hopes to make the indicator that a person has overdosed—if the phone hasn’t moved since before the timer reaches zero, it’s an indication that the user is not responsive and would trigger the message to the emergency contact. He also wants to be able to provide the GPS coordinates of the heroin user. This is currently in the beta form, but I was reading the reviews for it and all of them seemed like good reviews.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Using Naloxone For An Overdose

If you've taken the class this is a very good video I found on refreshing what has been told and taught in the class.

(Documentary) Anatomy Of An Overdose

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Why Do We Need This Treatment Center Here?

When someone is having a heart attack or a stroke they are taken to the hospital, they are treated in the emergency room by a great set of doctors. Once they are stable they are then admitted into the hospital often in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital and treatment and tests are started. When you are sick or are having a medical emergency that is how it works right?

But...

If someone is addicted to heroin and they overdose first they are lucky if the treatment gets to them on time. There is still fight over the use of Narcan. Our local law enforcement who is often the first on the scene will not be carrying Narcan Let's say the ambulance gets there to save them because that is what often happens. Then, the addict is taken to the hospital. There they are observed and then discharged.

Why? They too are sick aren't they?
Why are they then discharged out of the hospital to go back to heroin and then take a risk of overdosing again and possibly dying?

The answer is a simple one...

Because there are no beds in the places where they need to go to get treated for the disease of addiction. There is a huge waiting list for those beds to the places they need to go to get treatment for the disease of addiction.

We desperately need those beds right here in Martinsburg/Berkeley County. We need the treatment right here in Martinsburg/Berkeley County to treat our own who are addicted to heroin and want to be free of addiction.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

The Statistics...

In West Virginia... Heroin overdose deaths jumped from 22 in 2007 to 67 in 2012, according to the latest available figures from the West Virginia Health Statistics Center according to the WV Gazette

More statistics can be found by reading the Berkeley County Treatment Assessment

In The United States....

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Narcan Saves Lives

This pic belongs to: Narcan Saves Lives

Another group is Narcan Saves Lives. Each Friday here in Martinsburg a Narcan Class is offered. The Narcan classes are held at Callahan Counseling at 1020 Winchester Ave. in Martinsburg, WV

Please click Directions

If you are interested in these classes, please visit by clicking: Narcan Saves Lives
I am trying to free up a Friday to attend this class myself.

pictures for this post
Narcan Saves Lives
Map Bing

What Are Our Issues In Berkeley County/Martinsburg WV? We have no clear solutions!!!!

Besides this heroin epidemic?
We really have no clear solutions to the problem or so it seems on this side of the addiction...

1- The high numbers of Overdose and Preventable Death Our numbers of OD's and OD causing death continue to rise.
Drug use and the disorders that go along with it are still going untreated.

Our town officials and the local media need to stop using the catch phrase, "Dispelling Rumors" when referring to this heroin epidemic here! What rumors? There is no place for the word rumors in the discussion about this heroin epidemic. The numbers we have is data and statistics!!!!

2-We have No Drug Treatment Here We need treatment on demand. When someone is suffering a heart attack or a stroke they go to the hospital. That person will get triaged in the ER, tests are run, they will go to the ICU for further medical care. They are under constant medical supervision 24/7 and will get the best of all medical care. When someone is suffering from heroin addiction and they go to the hospital they get Narcan, often laughed at and put down, called a junkie and later released back to the streets where the cycle of drug abuse continues. When a person is suffering from a heroin addiction they shouldn't have to say they are suicidal and going to kill themselves to get access to a treatment facility. It should be available to them when they need it!

Something is clearly wrong with that!

3-We continue Criminalizing Those Who Are Addicted
We have a judicial system in this country that continues handcuffs instead of help! The intent is that the spiraling addict will "get it together" without any treatment induces harm, it cost money, causes recidivism and is no way solving the real problem.

4-We have No Harm Reduction- No Needle Exchange

5-No Community Awareness but plenty of NIMBY: Not In My Backyard
Mentality

6. Drugged Driving: Drug Driving Is Becoming A Huge Problem in all of WV. The numbers are only increasing. Driving while intoxicated (Alcohol) used to be the biggest problem on the roadways. Now you don't know who may be on the roads under the influence of powerful drugs like heroin.

7. Not only does the "Heroin Highway" go through this town but, Martinsburg's (WV) new nickname is Little Baltimore

8. This epidemic affects everyone. We need more Awareness here. Community Awareness, Youth Awareness and Parent Awareness. We must make people face the reality that the prejudice and injustice in literally killing people and that is data proven!

9. STOP The Stigma relating to heroin abuse. If we had Community Awareness we wouldn't have the stigma here.

10. We need to end the discriminatory practice and policies that often discriminate people with substance abuse problems and those who abuse with a criminal record excluding them from finding suitable jobs, their rights and opportunities. Many of these policies even those who have recovered.

11. We need a Strategic Public Health Awareness Campaign here.

12. More Awareness Is Needed to the problem which involves everyone on the same page, at the same table and in the same room to come up with solutions.

13. We need more youth awareness in our community.

14. More Parental Awareness Needed

15. We need to STOP the silence about this heroin epidemic here. We need to SPEAK the truth about heroin and this epidemic and we need to START the conversation!

It Will Take The Entire Village

If you are not part of the solution, then you are the problem.

In the beginning of all of this- the heroin, the epidemic- many years ago they said cigarettes was non addictive. Then in the late 80's came OxyContin. We were told that too was non addictive. Now weed is being marketed as, non addictive. Haven't we learned yet that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results? When will we ever learn?

Some Positive Initiatives Happening in our Community..

The Recovery Resource Center opened. It's located at 400 W. Stephen St in Martinsburg. Kevin Knowles is the Recovery Services Coordinator.

The #wvdayofhope

On Dec. 6, 2016 Martinsburg City Zoning Approved the Detox Center which will be located on Wilson St. in Martinsburg.

Important Upcoming Events

Mark You Calendars:

If your group has an event coming up, please let me know!

Update on Narcan Classes:

Classes will not be held every Friday now. They will now be held the first Friday of the month (starting May 6th) at the Martinsburg health department at 3:00. Whoever wants to attend needs to call the health department and sign up.

The third Friday of the month (starting May 20th) there will be on at 6:00 at Callahan Counseling Services 1020 Winchester Ave. There is no need to sign up for this one.

Callahan Counseling is located at 1020 Winchester Ave in Martinsburg, WV. This class starts at 6 PM. Visit Narcan Training of the Eastern Panhandle for more information

If interested in taking the Narcan Classes please sign up. Lately there has not been a lot of attendance. If this continues it is likely the local classes will stop.

Every Sunday Evening Nar-Anon meeting @ 6PM The group meets at Trinity UM Church on Martin St. in Martinsburg

Find a NA or Recovery Meeting Here in Martinsburg