DOPP Helps Save Lives

With the seemingly endless opioid epidemic invading neighborhoods, school grounds, and businesses across the country, organizing a community-wide effort to put resources in the hands of everyday people is paramount to getting in front of this health and safety issue. The numbers are just too great, and first responders cannot reach all those affected. To help facilitate solutions to fulfill the overbearing need, Family First Intervention has come up with a drug overdose prevention program, readily available for people within the United States.

Benefits of Adding DOPP

The State of Illinois has taken a proactive, progressive approach to alleviating the number of fatalities related to opioid overdoses. Through a joint initiative between their Substance use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR) division and DOPP, the state’s Drug Overdose Prevention Program, people can learn how to save a person from overdosing by administering Narcan, an overdose reversal drug.

Family First Intervention takes DOPP further. In Illinois Family First Intervention is the only intervention company to receive the official DOPP certification. With it, our interventionists can better protect a loved one who is still using opioids from overdosing during an addiction treatment intervention. Moreover, family members can also be trained in how to administer Narcan, in the event that addiction relapse occurs and an overdose episode happens.

Without an immediate intervention of Narcan administration, an opioid overdose may lead to death.  Preparedness and prevention is essential, therefore it is better to have Narcan on hand and not need it – than need it and not have it.

The DOPP training course teaches how to administer Narcan to reverse an opioid overdose and prevent death. It allows everyone a second chance at getting the help they need.  Although the DOPP training and certification allows a person to administer the overdose reversal drug, it does not give permission for your loved one to continue drug use.

Overdose Prevention Protects the Unsuspecting

Opioids kill the elderly. Older people are more prone to forgetting when they last took pain medications, increasing their risk for overconsumption.  Accidental deaths are a frequent repercussion of opioid use. Many people ingest medications that were prescribed for someone else failing to understand the inherent dangers of combining medications or ‘potentiation’ factor.  Drug interactions can occur when mixing one substance with another creating a deadly synergistic effect.

Pain pills or heroin purchased illicitly from drug dealers are often compounded with fentanyl and carfentanyl which are far more potent deadly opioids resulting in a quick and often fatal overdose.

Those who have undergone addiction treatment may return to former drug use, or relapse.  Unfortunately, relapse after completion of a treatment program is common and those who return to active drug use tend to revert back to previous amounts used.  A reduced tolerance level post detox increases the risk for opioid overdose. For these reasons, and many more, DOPP is an essential undertaking for every adult.

Limitations of Narcan Overdose Prevention

While we can’t follow a loved one, friend or coworker wherever they go throughout their day, getting the training needed to administer Narcan in the event of an opioid overdose adds peace of mind at a moment’s notice. However, there are other variables that training participants and DOPP certification holders need to remember.

Provisions of Narcan Use:

• Only works for opioid-related intake
• Effects last for a short amount of time (30-90 minutes)
• Depending on drug type/amount ingested, one dose may not be enough
• Comingling of opioids and fentanyl may hamper overdose reversal efficacy

Safe Harbor for Drug Addicts

Unfortunately, the people most likely to be with a person experiencing an opioid overdose are those who are using drugs as well. Due to fear of being caught and subsequent incarceration, others who witness a drug overdose will avoid making the necessary 9-1-1 call to alert first responders to the scene. But DOPP supports the overdose prevention act, known as the Good Samaritan Law of 2010, protecting others from jail time, even if they too are:

• Under the influence
• In possession of drug paraphernalia
• In possession of drugs (see type and amounts here)

Overdose Prevention Kit and Training Available On-Site

Family First Intervention is proud to offer the DOPP program to families, workplaces, entertainment venues, entities and community organizations in an effort to grow awareness about the opioid crisis in the United States and provide a solution. To get the certification needed to use Narcan safely and effectively, contact us to schedule a DOPP training session now.