96,700. That is the number of people across the United States who die each year as a result of a drug overdose.
7 out of 10. That is the amount of overdose deaths that are specifically caused by opioid drugs each year. Opioid drugs include morphine, heroin, fentanyl, hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxycontin, and more.
These chilling statistics are the reason that organizations like Berkshire Harm Reduction (BHR) exist – organizations that seek to eliminate as many dangers as possible for active addicts, spread awareness about using safely, and create safe and inviting spaces for people to who want to kick their habit and get clean.
“At Berkshire Harm Reduction, we meet people where they are,” began Bob Dean, a leader at BHR, during a presentation taking place at MCLA in Murdock 217 on Tuesday, September 24th. “We aren’t trying to stop them. We’re just trying to reduce the harm of what they’re doing, and hopefully that will give them a safe place to go to if they ever decide they want to stop using opioid drugs.”
Not stopping active users from opioid consumption may seem counterintuitive at first, but it’s crucial to help addicts along every step of their journey, instead of pushing them immediately toward the last step of quitting. Addicts have to want to get clean, and that decision can never be forced upon them effectively.
“We have people come in, give us their used needles, and then we provide unused syringes to reduce the risks that come with sharing needles, such as getting HIV, Hep. B, and other STDS,” said Dean, explaining how BHR aims to help addicts during all walks of their journeys. “If they aren’t going to stop using, it’s better to help them to use opioids safely.”
Safely is the key word here. Many addicts are fearful about getting new needles because of the stigma against drug addiction in this country, as well as simple issues of unavailability. By being there as a non-judgmental space to assist addicts, BHR is protecting their safety as much as possible.
It is important to remember that opioid users are not villains. Addiction is a disease. BHR aims to take an empathetic approach with people who are in over their head with something they feel they have no control over.
After revealing this information, Dean announced another statistic – and a much more uplifting one, at that: “Last year we took 540,000 used syringes from within Berkshire County.”
Not every citizen in Berkshire County is an addict, so with a population of just under 130,000, that’s a lot of needles. Those needles are coming in from a small group of people who are, hopefully, consistently visiting BHR, and being exposed to a caring community of professionals.
Clean needles, however, were not the most significant form of protection that Dean talked about during his presentation. That title goes to a medication called Narcan, or naloxone.
“Narcan has been around since the 50s,” explained Dean, “and it has one purpose: to rapidly reverse an overdose and stop it in its tracks.”
Narcan, Dean went on to explain, takes the form of a nasal spray that can be injected into a user’s nostrils in order to stop the process of an opioid overdose.
“The antagonists in naloxone bind to your brain receptors and block the effects of opioids,” Dean said, “which can save a person’s life if they’ve taken too much of the drug and their heart rate and breathing are slowing down.”
“It’s an interesting medication,” he continued, “because it doesn’t really have any side effects. So, it’s safe for kids. It’s safe for pets. It’s safe for pregnant women. Even if it’s not an overdose, there are zero side effects. So, it’s never a bad idea to use Narcan if you’re unsure.”
Dean then gave a visual instruction of using Narcan, preparing attendees, in case they ever need to administer it. He opened up a Narcan package, revealing two small spray tubes with a large red button at the bottom of each.
He explained that all one has to do is lean the person’s head back, insert one of the tubes in a nostril, and push the red button to release the naloxone spray. After, wait three minutes, and if the user does not appear to be reviving, the second tube should be administered into the other nostril.
Presentations such as these, and organizations like Berkshire Harm Reduction, are incredibly important in a country where nearly 100,000 people die each year from drug overdoses. Sometimes, it’s just not as simple as telling a person to quit.
If you can’t make a person quit, save their life in the meantime so they can one day, perhaps, make that choice for themself.