With all the bad stuff out there, from Fentanyl to Xylazine, you’d be crazy to use serious street drugs alone. It used to be that you’d have to pressure someone to use with you or pay with your body for someone to be there. But you don’t have to anymore. Now you can call 800-484-3731 and a volunteer operator will stay with you on the phone.
When you call, they’ll ask for your first name (it can be fake), phone number, location, and what substance you’re using. Then you can go ahead and use the substance. When you’re done, they’ll continue talking with you for a few minutes to be sure you’re going to be all right. If you stop responding for more than 30-45 seconds, they’ll get you some help.
When they call for help, they say you’re an “unresponsive person”, rather than an “overdose”. If they said “overdose”, the police might come. So, by reporting it as an “unresponsive person” it reduces the chances of police responding. All operators are trying to reduce the harm caused by drugs, not get you arrested or manipulate you to go to rehab. They are either people who use or have used drugs, or parents who lost a child to addiction. They clearly have thought things through.
The organization behind all this is Never Use Alone, one US non-profit among many that are dedicated to reducing the negative social and physical consequences that come along with drug use. By not requiring abstinence, this approach represents a radical departure from the drug wars that sought to deter and punish use. By any measure, the drug war has just made things worse.
If you do have someone to use with, and you use an opioid, be sure to have some Narcam (Naloxone) at hand. It can reverse an overdose. You can get Narcan without a prescription at any pharmacy across the US without a prescription. It’ll cost you some bucks unless your medical insurance or state gives it out for free. Check out the harmreduction.org website to find out what’s available in your area. Here in Rochester, the harm reduction hub is Trillium Health.
There’s no question that using street drugs is risky. If you get help, quitting is possible. However, not everyone is ready to quit and, even if they are, there are often many setbacks. Reduce your risks until you do. We want to keep you around.
Keith R Wilson 