New Milford to Remember Opioid Victims on International Overdose Awareness Day

NEW MILFORD, CT — The New Milford Prevention Council is hosting a candlelight vigil to honor the lives of those lost to addiction on International Overdose Awareness Day at the New Milford Green, Wednesday, August 31, from 4 - 8 p.m. The New Milford Prevention Council is a community coalition that provides help for those who are addicted or affected by substance abuse and addiction.

"We come together out of a common interest in addressing the problems of drug and alcohol use and abuse in our community," the group said in a statement.

International Overdose Awareness Day began 16 years ago and is now organized globally by the Penington Institute, an Australian non-profit health organization. John Ryan, CEO of Penington Institute, says that overdose is a growing problem worldwide; the United Nations calculates that 100,000 people die from overdose each year.

Four steps that anyone can be familiar with to make them a potential lifesaver:

1. Know what an overdose looks like. For example, with substance use, especially substances that slow down the systems of the body (e.g. benzodiazepines, opioids, GHB), snoring may indicate a serious and potentially life-threatening obstruction of the airway. Don’t ignore this snoring.

2. Administer naloxone – the opioid overdose reversal medication – if you have it and the person has overdosed on an opioid. If you are likely to be an opioid overdose witness, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or local needle and syringe program about getting trained on naloxone.

3. Seek emergency assistance.

4. Commence first aid and CPR if required.
Despite warnings that one dose of the illicit opioid can be not only instantly addictive but sometimes fatal — either in the short term or the long run — heroin usage has increased in the state in recent years.

If you know of someone who could use treatment for substance abuse,treatment facilities can be locatedby location and program characteristics on the State of Connecticut's Department of Mental Health and Addiction's website by clicking here.

»Heroin photo courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Administration

Written by Wendy Mitchell and Deb Belt (Patch Staff)