Drug overdose training given to stop deaths

A charity is offering training to help save the lives of people who have overdosed on opioids, including heroin.

Guildford Action is believed to be the first non-clinical place in England to administer naloxone alongside its needle exchange service.

The team has also started training people working in homelessness services on how to use naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an overdose.

According to government figures, 82 people died from drugs misuse in Surrey between 2020 and 2022.

Naloxone can be given as an injection or as a nasal spray, and people who have been trained can carry it with them to use in an emergency.

Jo Caesar, Guildford Action’s operations director, runs the training courses and is keen to teach as many people as possible to help save lives.

She said: “It's really important to make people aware, due to the fact that there's been a lot of stigma around possible opioid misuse and the need for something as important as naloxone which can reverse opioid overdose.

“It's just so easy to use and it's so important to be able to use it and to be able to save someone’s life.”

Ms Caesar said “absolutely anyone and everyone” can be trained to use naloxone.

Opioids include drugs like codeine and Oramorph, which contains the strong pain reliever morphine, as well as heroin and synthetic opioids.

Ms Caesar was keen to dispel myths about opioid use and said medication which can be given as painkillers can be highly addictive.

She said: “Anyone of us can know anyone that uses opioid so I'm happy to talk to anyone about it and give them the knowledge.”

The training covers how to spot the signs of an overdose and participants practice vaccinating an orange and how to use the nasal spray.

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