Mountain Pacific Blog

Updated February 14, 2024

Raising Awareness for Lives Altered by Overdose

International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, is the world’s largest annual campaign to remember those who have died from an overdose. This year’s theme is “recognizing those people who go unseen” in honor of the people left behind and whose lives are changed forever by overdose, including:

• First responders to the opioid epidemic – This includes police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), teachers, bartenders, librarians, food pantry volunteers and more—anyone who helps prevent overdose deaths by having naloxone on hand.
• Grieving family and loved ones
• Health care and support service workers who work to use compassionate care and help connect those with substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) to needed resources

While people can overdose on many different drug types, more than 75% of overdose deaths in 2021 involved an opioid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The total opioid-involved overdose deaths is 10 times the number of deaths in 1999.

Opioids are highly addictive and change your brain function. If your doctor talks to you about prescribing opioids for pain treatment, ask about possible risks and make a shared decision with your doctor about whether taking opioids is the best treatment for you and your situation.

Help Prevent Overdose: Know the Signs

Drug overdoses continue to increase across the United States, and overdose deaths are a leading cause of injury-related death. Knowing the facts about opioids is key in reducing the risk of an overdose. Risk factors for substance use disorder (SUD) include

• past or current substance abuse,
• mental health concerns,
• difficult childhood experiences,
• a social or family environment that encourages drug misuse.

Early signs of SUD include

• new difficulty with relationships,
• secretive or suspicious behavior,
• neglecting responsibilities,
• changing habits and friends,
• changes in personal grooming and hygiene.

If you notice any signs of SUD, speak up!

Prevention: Start the Conversation

Talking to someone about your concern that they may have OUD can be difficult. First and foremost, let the person know you care and want to help. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has resources that break starting the conversation into five steps:

1. Identify an appropriate time and place, preferably a private space.
2. Express your concerns and be direct.
3. Acknowledge their feelings and listen.
4. Offer your help.
5. Be patient.

Naloxone Saves Lives

In some cases, we may find ourselves needing to respond to an opioid overdose, joining those unseen heroes involved in the opioid crisis by circumstance. According to the CDC, in nearly 40% of overdose deaths, someone else was present.

Naloxone is an opioid overdose-reversing drug that has been U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved. It will soon be available as an over-the-counter (OTC) nasal spray. Make naloxone part of your first aid kit and keep naloxone handy, especially if you know someone taking opioids.

Two public health nurses in Alaska are working to make sure naloxone is readily available across their state. Learn more by listening to our Breaking Barriers in Rural Health podcast episode Transforming Loss into Preventing Opioid Overdose Deaths.

When to Use Naloxone: Signs of an Opioid Overdose

Naloxone is completely safe and can be administered if you think someone is having an overdose from opioids. If someone is experiencing any of these symptoms, they may be overdosing on an opioid:

• Falling asleep or loss of consciousness
• Breathing slows or even stops
• Discolored skin turning blue or gray, especially the lips and fingernails
• Skin gets cold and/or clammy
• Small, constricted pupils (pinpoint pupils)
• Choking or gurgling sounds

Find and learn how to administer naloxone with these tools:

• Opioid Safety: How to Use Naloxone – a trifold brochure
• Access naloxone through NEXT Distro, an online, mail-based service that helps reduce opioid overdose death and prevent injection-related disease transmission. Find out where to get naloxone in your state or request it by mail.

Recovery

Treatment and recovery from OUD will take time. Treatment options vary from person to person and can involve both behavioral therapy and medications for OUD (MOUD). The process for many is long-term and involves follow-up to prevent reuse.

Check out this SAMHSA tool to find opioid treatment programs in your state.

Join the International Overdose Awareness Day Campaign

This year help support the people who go unseen, those pulled into crisis by circumstance and the people left behind. Raise awareness and attend an International Overdose Awareness Day event.

Help bring awareness to the opioid crisis and end drug overdose by sharing this information. If you believe someone you know might be struggling with OUD, offer to help. Friends, family, coworkers and others can make a big difference in reducing opioid-related overdose deaths.