Unintentional drug overdoses account for almost 86% of New Mexico drug overdose deaths. Certain populations may be more at risk of an overdose, including:

• Anyone who takes opioids with other medications or substances including alcohol;
• Anyone who uses heroin, morphine, or fentanyl;
• People with reduced tolerance following detox or release from incarceration;
• Someone who has had a previous non-fatal overdose; and
• Anyone who uses opioid medications to manage pain. 

Accidental overdose and death can happen whether you are taking prescription painkillers, heroin, fentanyl, or mixing more than one drug, including alcohol, anti-anxiety and sleeping pills. This is known as polysubstance use, and can happen intentionally when someone mixes drugs to increase or decrease the effects of certain substances or wants to experience combinations of drugs and alcohol or unknowingly mixing drugs happens when someone takes drugs that have been mixed or cut with other substances, like Fentanyl, without their knowing.  

In the last three years, overdoses involving Fentanyl rose 135%. It can be hidden in any drug, and it takes as little An amount as the size of a pinhead to be fatal. You can’t see it, taste it or smell it. It can be found in pill and powdered form and is commonly mixed with heroin, cocaine, meth, Percocet, crack, and Adderall to make them more powerful.  It is also mixed in liquid form as nasal sprays, and eye drops, and dropped onto paper or small candies.

Our sister campaign, A Dose of Reality, focuses on opiate overdose prevention, treatment and recovery. The website has plenty of resources for New Mexicans on the impact of opiates and how to help end the stigma surrounding substance misuse. There is also a comprehensive list of Medication Assisted Treatment providers and of Narcan providers for those of us who have loved ones struggling with opioids. Carrying Narcan can save a life in case of an overdose and is available to any New Mexican. Covered by Medicaid, Narcan, also known as Naloxone, is a nasal spray medication designed to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose. Learn how to get and use Narcan to help save someone from an overdose death. 

While there is no completely safe way to use illicit drugs and other substances, there are ways to diminish the harmful effects associated with substance misuse, such as overdose. When it comes to using heroin, fentanyl and other opioids, follow these tips to reduce the risk of overdose: 

• Never use alone;
• Carry Narcan;
• Listen to your body;
• Test your supply; and
• Use slowly.

Addiction is a disease, not a moral failure or weakness. Blaming and shaming will not change the cycle – medication and support will. Opioid use disorder is often considered a moral failing. But in reality, it is more like a chronic disease like diabetes. And like a chronic disease, medicine exists that can help. Just like diabetes is treated with insulin, opioid addiction is treated with anti-craving drugs. Combined with behavioral health support this is known as Medication Assisted Treatment or MAT. 

With MAT, people are much more likely to stay in treatment, prevent relapse, gain or maintain employment, and build the family and community networks all of us need to find our way. Let’s stop blaming and shaming. We can help New Mexico break the opioid cycle with medication and support. In fact: without medication, 90% of people addicted to opioids will relapse.

Anyone can struggle with substance misuse, and no one likes to feel judged or devalued. We must reduce the stigma to encourage people to ask for help and recovery. Family, friends, and the public often have negative feelings about drug use or behavior. Blaming, shaming, ignoring and rejecting someone struggling with an opioid use disorder creates stigma and it can keep a person from wanting to seek treatment or get healthcare. Every community is touched by opioid misuse—rural, urban, tribal, large or small.

Start conversations with your friends, families, neighbors and coworkers about opioid risks, how to save someone’s life and help them get treatment. 

For more information, visit Dose of Reality – Harm Reduction or call Never Use Alone at 1-800-484-3731.