PARSIPPANY — Free Community Narcan Training will be held on Wednesday, September 5 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at High Focus Centers, 1259 Route 46.
Training includes overdose prevention strategies, signs and symptoms of overdose, support information and resources, and much more.
Registration is required. Please call Erika Shortly at (973) 625-1998, ext. 17, or email eshortway@mcpik.org.
The opioid epidemic in the U.S., for the most part, started in the 1990s with the widespread prescribing of prescription pain relievers like hydrocodone and oxycodone. The opioid epidemic, which is described as a public health crisis, includes not only prescription pain killers but also heroin, which is an illegal drug sold on the streets.
Opioids are drugs that bind to certain receptors in the central nervous system, and in doing so, they create a sense of euphoria and also slow down the action of the CNS. The CNS controls respiration, and if someone takes too large a dose of opioids, their respiration can slow down to a dangerous level or stop altogether.
This is what’s known as an opioid overdose, and tens of thousands of people die from drug overdoses (particularly because of opioids) every year in the U.S.
As national recognition has grown regarding how pervasive and severe the opioid epidemic has become, there have been measures put in place to reduce the deaths and help prevent the negative consequences that come with using these drugs.
