A research team at the University of Washington has developed a wearable device to detect and undo overdose of opioids. This device, which is worn on the stomach like an insulin pump, senses that a person has stopped breathing or moving and injects naloxone, a life-saving antidote that can restore breathing.

A national survey conducted in July 2020 by market research company Propeller Insights found that about a quarter of Americans were prescribed opioid medications in the year prior. Yet although a vast majority of them (76%) said they knew how to identify an opioid drug, only 22% were able to correctly identify seven common prescription opioids, such as tramadol, or hydromorphone. Many also misidentified non-opioids such as oxytocin or trazodone as containing opioids, though they do not.

Addressing substance use can be difficult for parents. We want to open the conversation and create a very safe space for open communication, but we must also be very clear while expressing family values and expectations.

Communicate with your teen that you want to sit down and talk with them about vaping, drugs, and alcohol in advance of the actual sit-down. This helps avoid the defensiveness you may encounter if it is an impromptu conversation.

“You have to understand that — yes, you know — this individual should stop whatever they’re doing, and that individual knows they should stop. However, today may not be the day,” Monti Herring says. “And so understanding that and meeting the individual where they are, and saying, ‘OK, we both know you should stop. Today’s not the day. However, what’s the next best thing that I can do for you is make it safer.’ And that, in a nutshell, essentially is harm reduction.”

Thousands of people died from opioid-involved drug overdoses in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to make a difference, an expert said.

Substance abuse is glorified on social media, normalized in everyday settings and present at nearly all off-campus social events. Just because it’s everywhere doesn’t mean it’s not problematic.

“Responses from more than 10,000 full-time students at 119 four-year colleges indicated that 44% of survey participants were binge drinkers,” a Wall Street Journal staff reporter stated in reference to a Harvard study on college alcohol consumption. Nearly half of students drinking excessively is extremely alarming, especially considering the serious implications for both the physical and mental health of students, as well as their academic performance.

Narcan is a drug that is frequently used for emergency treatment in either hospitals or any places in which people are required to have immediate medical attention. Commonly known as naloxone, Narcan is usually relayed to a patient as an antidote to people whenever they had incurred overdosage from other drugs such as heroin and opioids.

Overdosage from strong drugs like heroin that is topped by opioids could decrease the natural function of the patient. Even worse is that an individual could lose their overall respiration process, which could lead to death.

For the past month, Curran O’Connor, a senior at Columbus North, has been collecting hygiene items and putting together bags for men and women at sober living homes.

The first bags will be donated to people at ASAP, Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Columbus.

Would you get treatment if you’re diagnosed with cancer? I sure hope so. As we know, the earlier you get help, the easier it is to recover.

So why is it that so many people refuse to seek help for mental health and substance misuse? Like cancer, the longer you wait, the worse it gets. And like cancer, care and support are crucial to recovery. Too often, what holds people back is the social stigma.

To save more lives from drug overdose, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched four complementary education campaigns intended to reach young adults ages 18-;34 years. The campaigns provide information about the prevalence and dangers of fentanyl, the risks and consequences of mixing drugs, the life-saving power of naloxone, and the importance of reducing stigma around drug use to support treatment and recovery.