The Indiana Recovery Alliance posted Nov. 5 on Instagram stating there had been an increase in non-fatal accidental overdoses in the past few days in Bloomington and Monroe County.
According to IRA Executive Director Nick Voyles, the IRA tracks this information on accidential overdoses through participants directly telling them. Although the organization partners with the Monroe County Health Department for programs such as the Monroe County Syringe Service Program, non-fatal overdoses often aren’t tracked by larger organizations or departments.
Indiana Recovery Alliance is a drug-user human rights advocacy organization that aims to reduce harm and educate on the effects and impacts of drug use. They focus on harm reduction, which is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.
Fatal accidental overdoses from September doubled in October this year, according to the Monroe County Coroner Office. In September there was only one recorded fatal overdose, whereas in October there were six fatal overdoses.
With an increase in accidental overdoses, the IRA stresses the importance of harm reduction tactics and being informed of the action to take if one occurs.
Know the facts
According to the Center of Disease Control , overdoses are the leading injury-related cause of deaths in the United States. In 2023, 107,543 people died from drug overdoses, which equates to 294 overdoses each day. 81,083 of those deaths involved opioids. 2023 saw the first annual decrease in fatal drug overdoses since 2018.
In Indiana, 725 people have died from drug abuse so far in 2024.
Research shows people who have at least one overdose are likely to have another.
Know the signs of an overdose
Overdoses can be hard to identify. If someone is unsure, it is best to treat the situation like an overdose.
According to the National Harm Reduction Coalition, signs of an overdose include, but are not limited to:
- Loss of consciousness
- Being unresponsive to outside stimulus
- Being awake, but unable to talk
- Breathing is very slow and shallow, erratic or has stopped
- For lighter skinned people, the skin tone turns bluish purple, and for darker skinned people, it turns grayish or ashen
- Vomiting
For full information on how to distinguish an overdose, read the NHRC’s opioid overdose basics.
According to the NHRC, it is rare for someone to die immediately from an overdose. When people survive, it is because someone was there to respond.
Test your drugs
Drug test strips are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in different drugs.
The IRA has free fentanyl test strips. The IRA is located at 1710 W. Third St. A person can take as many test strips as they want.
The Monroe County Health Department, located at 119 W. Seventh St., also offers free test strips, which people can get by calling (812) 349-2722.
Drug test strips can also be bought at CVS.
Never use alone
Harm reduction advocacy organizations, including the IRA, encourage those who use not to use alone. Using alone increases the risk of a fatal overdose. According to PreventEd, if someone needs medical care due to an overdose or other medical emergency, help may not reach them in time.
Never use alone is a hotline available nationwide that aims to reduce these risks by having someone available over the phone who can help establish a safety plan and get emergency medical help if needed. It is confidential and the caller’s information is never shared. Call 877-696-1996 to access this hotline.
Have Narcan on hand
Narcan is the name brand of naloxone hydrochloride. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Narcan is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, which can save someone’s life. Naloxone can be administered as a nasal spray or injected into a muscle, under the skin or into the veins. Steps for using Naloxone and responding to an opioid overdose can be found at SAMHSA.gov.
The Monroe County Jail Lobby at 301 N. College Ave. offers free Narcan nasal spray 24/7. There is no appointment or interaction with staff required. Enter the lobby from the alley between the parking garage and the Monroe County Justice building.
The IRA and Monroe County Health Department also offer free Narcan. For the IRA, call 812-567-2337, and pick up from Naloxbox installed outside of office or drop-in during SSP outreach hours.
The IU Student Health Center offers free Naloxone at the IU Substance Use Intervention Services at 625 N. Eagleson Ave. No prior appointment is needed to go pick one up.
Narcan can be bought at CVS stores.
Rescue breathing (regardless of Narcan on hand)
Rescue breathing is essential whether someone has Narcan on hand or not. According to Voyles, the best course of action is to dispense a dose of Narcan if it is on hand and then begin rescue breathing until medical help arrives or the person comes to and is breathing normally.
Rescue breathing consists of getting the person on their back, tipping their head back to straighten the airway, pinching their nose, putting your mouth over theirs to form a seal, and then providing one breath every five seconds.
“If you’re not rescue breathing you are essentially green lighting brain damage,” Voyles said. “There is no other way to put it, you could literally rescue breath for eight hours until the drugs metabolized.”
However, he emphasized there should be no chest compressions in overdose rescue breathing because it could lead to further complications such as a cracked chest.
“When somebody overdoses, their heart doesn’t stop but they do stop breathing,” IRA Deputy Director Liz Curran-Groome said.
Emergency Abuse Hotline
For substance abuse treatment and mental health referrals, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
