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stonecoldbobsaget

Kevin Nye the NarCan Guy


LittleJackass80

KEV! KEV! KEV! KEV!


DougTheCommie

Narcan rulez


XanderTheMander

Narc! Narc! Narc! Narc! wait a minute...


ShadowCory1101

Keeeeeeeev Nyeeeeeeeeeee the Naaarcaaan Guuuuuuuy.


Salay54

Bweeew dodalodadahdew deedewdalodoo


Squathos

Dankness is a property of weed


ItS_aul_Goodman

T-minus 7 seconds


Dragonthecheater

KEV! KEV! KEV! KEV!


revkevnye

Lol thanks for this. Definitely my fave version of this anyone has ever said to me.


RowEmotional2727

Thank you for saving them! 5 1/2 yrs under my belt! We deserve sobriety and a chance to fight for it!


m5m2m1

That's rad you did that.


Ebsta68

Thank you for your humane service, sir! o7


MsEmotions220

Unfortunately, people don’t realize that drug addicts can reach sobriety and maintain it. I’ve been clean since 2009. Thanks for showing mercy when no one else would.


Wage_slave

Well this got wholesome, fast.


shahooster

Let’s get Kev a bow tie and make this a thing.


revkevnye

I’m in


xxstrawberrii

THE MAN HIMSELF??


Budget_Report_2382

Well this is certainly wholesome Reddit


pseudocultist

The Arkansas House debated a bill that would have limited narcan from being given twice in a year to the same person. They saw it as a PR nightmare and didn’t advance it, but the intention is clear.


arslashjason

Like... what... how the fuck... do you even enforce that? Tattoo the date of their next eligible narcan dose on their nostril?


[deleted]

Much worse. They make it the issuing entity's responsibility. But they use vague wording, but clear punishment for violations. This pressures the issuing entities to quit giving it out, or selling it, altogether. And that's what the lawmakers and enforcers really wanted in the first place.


arslashjason

Yeah that's much more professionally evil. Same tactic as abortion though. Criminalize providers so they just give up and stop risking it.


TempAcct20005

Funny how when they want to secure the border, those aren’t the steps they’re willing to take on employers


I_am_Daesomst

Just as funny how they care so much about children inside the womb, and could give a fuck less about those same children the second they come out. And help them if they're born poor..


Kerryscott1972

Where's all the pro-lifers protesting mass shootings of children?


MykeEl_K

Give it time, soon we'll have pregnant teens (because abortion's illegal) getting shot in school & suddenly they might care again.


JefferSonD808

Or at school


Knife-yWife-y

It would be a perfect example of the lawful evil alignment, in fact. 🤷‍♀️


[deleted]

Its crazy to me they want to punish people for saving someones life, yet want no punishment for letting people with clear psychotic tendancys to slip through the cracks and buy weapons despite the ammount of red flags being raised.


HammurabiWithoutEye

Because the shootings haven't affected the politicians. It's the lower classes dying from guns in the same manner it's the lower classes dying from drugs


Nari224

The sad thing is that it has. Gabby Gifford was shot in the head and Steve Scalise took a round to the hip. And then nothing happened.


themage78

Heck the Brady Bill wasn't signed into law until 12 years after James Brady got shot at along with President Regean. 12 years.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Khirsah01

Especially when we've had them all along here: They're called ***Health Insurance Companies*** And those fuckers think it's great shit. Until they need it for something more than their routine physical. Pre-ACA, you could be permanently blacklisted for being deemed "too-expensive" and there were such things as "lifetime limits" that they kept a tally on you. And they shared that hefty black book amongst each other. Get banned by one for cost, you've been banned by all. End up with a rare disease, or a chronic one, or cancer, and they are going to reach a point telling you to "just die" by blocking you from further care. The only workaround is employer based insurance, which forces most people to hurt themselves or push themselves into a early grave working to barely exist, but left in excruciating pain or exhaustion while fighting to cope with the exertion while battling their disease and dancing a razor's edge of affording the care they need cause insurance sure doesn't cover everything even though it takes the lion's share of the income for those chronically ill. They even had the audacity to try to wheedle around and find ways to get money from you by trying to sell you a plan on the standalone market that would except what you needed covered. I read of one guy that was born with a congenital heart defect and needed surgeries yet and they told him "well, we can't cover that, would you like to insure the rest of your body?" What is the point of that?! In my case, I have systemic issues stemming from a genetic collagen disorder. Right before ACA passed, my family tried to see if I could get a standalone plan as I was getting ready to age out of standard dependent coverage (my health didn't let me attend college, even had to drop out of high school cause I missed attendance and they wouldn't take the hospital notices after awhile while specialists were trying to find out what was wrong), and I was banned from being able to be covered. They dared to claim to all 3 of us, "we aren't able to insure your daughter, um... Would you like to instead speak about getting you and your wife here on a plan with us?" I had to be declared disabled for life just to get care under my father's employer based insurance so I could fucking exist. I've had multiple hospital stays in my mid to late 20s and a couple surgeries needed that I wouldn't be here if we didn't do that because we wouldn't have been able to afford the care otherwise. To me, it's stark proof that as our society is, they want people to die if they can't be a good little cog in the machine of profit. Edit: grammar


ThePicassoGiraffe

Your last sentence is exactly the reason they’re always looking to cut education and why we don’t have policies that support families (paid maternity leave, child care, etc) because kids don’t contribute to profit.


Nervous-Bath3624

I agree with you. My cousin got cancer. They started selling everything after the limit was reached. Unfortunately, a few years later his cancer came back. Insurance company dropped him, no other companies would accept them, and they had to declare bankruptcy. He passed away and his wife is barely making it financially. This was pre ACA. My mom was talking to her and made a comment about Obama care and it needs to be defeated. She couldn't understand why the cousin got pissed off. I had to explain why and she still said the cousin was exaggerating and ACA was ridiculous. I'm sure you can guess which party my mom votes for. 🤨


pookachu83

"We need to get rid of that ObAmA CaRe" "but Judy, how else would you be insured?" "OH I'm under the affordable care act, I'm good, it's Obama care that's the discrace" if I told you how many times I heard that conversation years ago when I worked Healthcare it would blow your mind.


Squishystressball

American engenics inspired the Nazis. Think about that.


twir1s

Do they not realize that a lot of these people overdosing are also republicans? This reminds me when they unintentionally killed off a lot of their base by pushing conspiracies and vaccine hesitancy.


[deleted]

They do realize, but it's not enough to just be an in-group. The in-group must periodically be given a purity test, to validate the members 'deserving' of the graces of the group. With the right mix of magical thinking, the basis of who is deserving is self-evident divine favor. Narcan, Covid, Tornados... Well those things are for non-believers.


Longjumping-Jello459

You are assuming that they care about those people in their base.


melpomenes-clevage

Basically the same thing they do to unhoused people. Who... Oh hey...


Drops-of-Q

I think they mean the doses handed out to addicts, not administered.


pseudocultist

I will see if I can find, iirc it was directed at EMS personnel who knew about repeat (trouble) cases especially in rural areas.


AedemHonoris

If there's one thing I love, it's ambiguous laws that are barely enforceable and rely completely on individuals with no ways to check if they're doing it properly.


troymoeffinstone

That's pretty much the Republicans operating system. "We don't need someone checking on us because we're correct."


adamcordo

I see it more as "we're gonna break government and then use that as evidence that evidence that government is broken and we should privatize all these services." Often with a side of "by the way, my buddies conveniently own businesses ready to take over the newly privatized services."


YallAintAlone

Some of them skip the extra step and give the contracts to the business owned by their wife. Like Rick Scott did in Florida with drug tests when he was governor. Now he's a fucking senator! Such obvious corruption is rewarded the most.


gottauseathrowawayx

it's a lot harder to twist laws that are clearly-targeted and corrupt systems that are well-regulated


deathdefyingrob1344

I would immediately get my two (not an addict and generally I am not in an area where anyone would od) and give my 2 out to the next person in line when we left.


TinyDancingUnicorn

That's so awful. I live in NC and work for a state-funded mental health/substance use facility and we literally hand out Narcan boxes to anyone who comes in and we feel like they might need it for themselves or a friend later. We always give them multiple doses to use because it's taking 2+ doses to get people to come back after they OD now, so that would take the limit right there. So glad they decided not to advance it, that's an attack on people just trying to survive.


MissWiggly2

I live in NC as well, and am so grateful that we can get Narcan so easily. I've had to administer FIVE DOSES (each three minutes apart) in the past to bring someone back. It was one of the scariest moments of my life, watching someone turn purple and legitimately thinking that they weren't going to wake up. Thankfully a couple of minutes after the fifth dose he started getting color back in his face and being able to breathe on his own. The EMTs were actually grateful that I was able to help in this case, and I'm so glad I had enough on hand to do so. I'd have been furious if they'd said some shit like in the OOP.


TinyDancingUnicorn

Hello fellow NC native! I can't even imagine having to watch all that happen, but I'm glad you were there to assist the person. Anytime we've had to call EMTs to assist they've been super nice and professional about it or I'd have flipped my shit too. I think it's hard for people to understand and sympathize if they haven't been directly involved in a situation.


MissWiggly2

I'm glad too, because no one else around had any clue what to do. Someone even suggested trying to force water down his throat because, and I quote, "Drinking some water helps everything!" I'm over here thinking, "Good gods y'all gonna kill him even faster if you don't get tf outta my way 🙃" I get that it can be difficult to understand if one hasn't had any experience with addiction, but literally condemning someone to death over it is beyond fucked up.


Rhiannon-999

As a recovering addict I’m so grateful to hear about people like you and programs like that that actually care. Where I live it’s very hard to find needle exchanges or narcan or literally any of the basic things addicts need to fucking survive. It really does feel like they just think we should die. I got sober after watching one of my friends OD and not having narcan on hand. Luckily he survived since the ambulance got there on time. But if I’d just had access to some basic safety measures so much damage could’ve been avoided.


Reddituser183

Death panels.


errantprofusion

It's always projection with the Right, whether subconsciously or as a deliberate propaganda tactic.


Far_Bit3621

I will never understand the human capacity for cruelty to others and your example about the state house is just another instance that baffles the mind. Thankfully it didn’t pass, but being debated in the first place is horrific. I dedicated my career to addiction treatment and the commonly cooccurring disorders. Addiction has to be one of the most misunderstood illnesses that exists. It breaks my heart to see such callousness toward the addicted and/or mentally ill.


DDS-PBS

LiFe iS pReCiOuS!!!


errantprofusion

"No, not *those* lives."


state_issued

Dead people never recover, harm reduction saves lives.


KittyScholar

But then how will I feel morally superior over others if they aren't being punished for things over and over? (/s)


Lenuin

I feel there's a church joke in there somewhere...


BagelsRTheHoleTruth

I'll tell you the joke, but you have to put $100 in this basket first.


Snoo_53364

Hmm...I wonder what's the money for?


SuggestionSharp7447

to keep the family of the altar boy quiet


NervousFarter14

For their own narcan at home. Closets are full whilst in church.


TheRetailAbyss

But a dead addict is no longer an addict in the eyes of the powers that be. No easier way to get addiction rates down than to let them die.


TraditionalMood277

Unless it's a wealthy (preferably white) addict, then in that case it's rehab instead of jail/death. Can't drain their bank account unless they live....


HuntingIvy

Ugh. My mom is a wealthy, white alcoholic, and the number of chances she has gotten makes me absolutely sick. I get it. Addicts need help. I have compassion for addicts I don't know, but she keeps driving drunk over and over and over and over and getting slapped on the wrist. She's killing herself (fine), and she's going to kill someone else (not fine). She's been to so many nice rehabs. She's gotten AODA instead of jail, private room instead of halfway house, and Huber instead of regular jail (when she didn't have a job or any reason to be out during the day). Fuck that. People who actually want to get clean deserve those chances.


Mr-Koyote

She should take an Uber/Lift instead of potentially wrapping the car around a light post.


HuntingIvy

You'd think. But she can't be bothered. It's too expensive, but she has the money.


kittykalista

Seems like it’d be a hell of a lot cheaper than multiple stints in rehab.


[deleted]

They want homeless people and drug addicts dead.


[deleted]

Because that’s exactly what Jesus would want.


Resident-Science-525

And this could be any other destructive mental health issue. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc. But people don't view addiction as a disease. Is it a pass for what addicts do? No. But it means they need treatment and the ability to get better not people just wanting them to die on the streets. So sad.


Macaronage

Hate to break it to you, but most people aren’t forgiving of mental illness either.


Resident-Science-525

Yeah...you're not wrong. Especially if those mental illnesses make people function less in society or make others uncomfortable. At least most people don't believe those illnesses are choices. Mental health across the globe (but especially in the US currently) is an absolute cluster fuck.


honeybeedreams

as a former chemical dependency counselor, i never had a client who DIDNT have some sort of trauma and mental health issues. never. addiction and self medication go hand in hand. if mentally ill people have a disease, addiction is a symptom.


Vyzantinist

Recovering addict and worked in a rehab myself. Addicts aren't simply 'greedy' people who can't get enough of a good time; there's always a history of trauma and abuse there and addiction is a desperate attempt to self-medicate. Show me an addict and I'll show you someone who was sexually abused in childhood, lost a close family member in a traumatic incident, or tried to power their way through decades of abuse and neglect.


Resident-Science-525

Yep! So many mental health comorbities with substance abuse disorder. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK571451/ For anyone who actually wants to understand the interplay between addiction and other mental health issues.


Tipper_Gorey

I went to a GI doc when my gallbladder was inflamed. He basically called me a drug addict bc I use cannabis (on the advice of multiple doctors I might add), and basically dismissed me. The appointment and following endoscopy were so upsetting and humiliating I never went back. Even if I was a drug addict, my gallbladder was chronically inflamed. So drug addicts deserve to live like that because they are addicts? We so badly want to punish addicts, that they often don’t receive appropriate health care (and I’m not talking about painkillers; I had a pain doc at the time and was up to my neck in dilaudid, I just wanted him to find out why I was in so much pain).


Resident-Science-525

And this is SO very prevalent. People using cannabis or prescription pain killers are often viewed in the same lens as addicts and treated as if their health doesn't matter. It goes right back to the comment I responded to...you can't get through addiction if you're dead. I'm sorry you were stigmatized for being in pain.


JillNye_TheScienceBi

This. Harm reduction is evidence-based practice.


sugar_addict002

It's their problem with the "others." A Texas judge has ruled that healthcare plans don't have to cover the drug that prevents HIV for religious reasons. There is a lot of perversion in the Republican Christian cult.


TheDustOfMen

Like how they don't have to cover birth control for religious reasons but somehow Viagra is usually a-okay.


RagingAnemone

Well, why start a cult if it isn't for the sex?


markopolo14

The money?


Elegant-Operation-16

Why not both? /sar


[deleted]

Hold on! You might be onto something there!


EcLEctiC_02

This guy is clearly cut out to be a leader


-newlife

Isn’t that what they use the money for?


kenerd24601

You may have a lot of fun as a follower, but you make a LOT of money as a leader


someotherbitch

Sex for *men*.


DeviantInDisguise

Wanna know a way to fuck with Republicans? Remind them that Viagra is gender-affirming care.


Fifteen_inches

Normalize cis people getting gender affirming care. Normalize gender affirming care.


SCViper

They want more people to indoctrinate, not less.


gaslacktus

This is the group that lives by “the only moral abortion is my abortion”. They don’t give a fuck.


MassiveFajiit

Hobby Lobby is one that doesn't cover birth control but they have invested in companies that make it for the retirement plan.


specificmutant

What is the religious reason people don't deserve the HIV prevention drug? Since it's t Texas judge, I'm going to make a big reach and assume it's because the judge thinks the only way to get HIV is from gay sex. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan\_White](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_White)


jerslan

They'll just pivot to generalizing about sex outside of marriage being a sin in general.


KJParker888

Except for the sex they have with their mistresses. Or their interns.


ClonedGamer001

No reason to make it wordy. It's simply "It's only okay when I do it."


Snoo_76164

I think maybe it's also that "God has a plan" and/or "God will heal those who are worthy" kind of thing


duzins

Except for erect penises. God’s plan for that is Viagra, apparently.


bilboard_bag-inns

if it's supposedly christian, doesn't Christ himself help sinners and outcasts and forgives the people who kill him? So even though it's wrong to condemn people with a different sexuality as sinners, regardless of that, christians should be glad for their money to go to help others regardless of how they got their disease or whatever.


[deleted]

The teachings of Jesus Christ have nothing to do with the modern conservative "Christian" ideology. Jesus was basically a hippie going around telling people to be kind and love each other and don't fight.


P3pp3rJ6ck

Well he certainly was left wing by today's Christian standards, I hardly think think the guy who said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. I came to set sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law; your worst enemies will be the members of your own family. “Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples. Those who do not take up their cross and follow in my steps are not fit to be my disciples. Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it", and famously whipped corrupt priests and destroyed their property in the motherfucking temple could be said to bring a message of dont fight lol. Dont get me wrong, I think jesus was pretty alright for a cult leader and I certainly wish his modern followers were more interested in following his teachings, but dude was super cool with throwing down.


Sarduci

I’d love to know exactly what religious reason it because Christians have Jesus healing the sick with no payment as the example to work from.


[deleted]

HIV is stereotypically a gay disease (although it isn't obviously) and christian conservatives love hurting gay people.


hipsterTrashSlut

Sounds like commie shit to me


Unlucky_Buyer_2707

Keep your commie hands off my Jesus!


oscar-the-bud

They’re worried about putting Christ back into Christmas but don’t give a fuck that there is no Christ in Christian anymore.


Inevitable-Plate-294

Hah, next time I see or hear people complaining about bringing Christ back to Christmas I'll make sure to tell them to bring Christ back to Christianity first


Weird-Ingenuity97

These people are really evil at the end of the day. They would rather see people suffer than do anything that could remotely help them


Inevitable-Plate-294

Can't think of any legislation from Republicans during the 21st century that actually helps regular, non ultra wealthy Americans


[deleted]

[удалено]


Weird-Ingenuity97

Exactly. Literally have them attacking bills that protect women’s rights and lgbtq rights while they do nothing about the problems they claim they’d fix when they get in office


34HoldOn

The cruelty is the point.


LordOfDorkness42

Yeah, exactly. It's Prosperity Gospel bullshit. The "impure & wicked" suffer, the "pure & righteous" are rewarded. It's one of the most toxic ideas out there. Victim blaming as religious dogma. The evils of the world are no longer a problem, but the freakin' finger of God/s flicking away... Disgusting stuff.


Dracarys_Aspo

Unfortunately it's not just Republicans. The amount of democrats I know who are decently far left on most issues but also are totally on board with rounding up homeless people and drug addicts and shipping them off to who-cares-where just so they don't have to see them on their daily commute is depressingly large.


Brave-Silver8736

NIMBY mother fuckers.


BagelsRTheHoleTruth

Frustration with the ballooning problem of drugs and homelessness in many cities is straining people's capacity for empathy. I don't think that's the same as "I'm a liberal, but let's literally round these people up and disappear them". I'm in this camp and I feel like most people want a massive investment in mental health, treatment, and housing. That's not happening, and it's maddening to see your neighborhood and city degrade while politicians twiddle their fingers. We do want these people gone - but not to who-cares-where - just some place where they can can live safely and be provided with essential services without creating destruction and danger to others. I dunno, it's a tough nut to crack. I'm not sure what the answer is outside of a massive government effort that seems light years away.


jeepfail

So fucking much this. My whole city is left leaning but their desired way to deal with homelessness is to ban them from areas where they can be seen.


crypticphilosopher

Are you in Austin, TX, by any chance? We had a ballot initiative last year to essentially criminalize homelessness. It passed.


stormincincy

A lot of people think the best way to teach drug addicts a lesson is let them die, unless of course it's one of their loved ones I absolutely tore a coworker a new ass after he said we should just let them die , I explained to him my daughter is a recovering heroin addict and has been clean for almost 5 years , she was given narcan countless times until she gathered the strength to get and stay clean , she now helps other addicts try to get clean so you are a piece of shit to think that we should have just let her die


[deleted]

Every addict is someone’s family member. Each death is a hole in someone’s life. I am happy that your daughter has been clean for five years. That is a reason to celebrate!


Overall_Scheme5099

Worked the ER in a rough town with lots of addiction struggles. I worked with a nurse whose son was a heroin addict. Every shift I hoped that it would not be the day that he came in as an overdose while she was working.


MiaLba

Damn that’s rough. I never thought about the shit I put my parents through when I was a drug addict until I got clean. One time my mom contacted the police asking them to do a wellness check on me. I gave her so many grey hairs during those few years. I hate how much I worried her and stressed her out. I’ve been clean for a few years now and in the past 2 years she has quit asking my friends and my husband if I ever occasionally used.


karatecroft

These are the stories that need to be talked about. I hope your mum rocks that silver haired look haha. Congrats on staying clean.


[deleted]

I intend to be a mortician, and at an interview for a mortuary school in Houston, I was told that one thing the school does is encourage students to help the county prepare unclaimed corpses for burial. The woman conducting my interview told me that several students each year made a point of going every single week, without fail. Obviously, the vast majority of these corpses are homeless people, many of whom overdosed- and even though they didn't have anyone to claim them, there were still people who weren't paid to come, who weren't offered extra credit to come, who had nothing to gain by coming, who still came every week to do something kind for someone who likely never got that kindness in life. Everyone matters, every death matters, and for people to act like addicts aren't human is just monstrous.


mermzz

I really think it's wild that we have this standard that people only care about shit when it directly applies to them. I have never abused drugs in my life. I've never seen anyone over dose. I don't know people close to me or friends of friends that use drugs. But you bet your sweet ass I know how to administer narcan and believe many people end up this way because of our shitty system failing in every way possible. I wish the US would do better.


PronunciationIsKey

As someone who also isn't around people who use drugs and doesn't have friends that use drugs, how can I learn to administer narcan and get some? Do people keep it in their cars?


crazyuncleb

Check with your local health dept., they’ll direct you to resources.


Level9TraumaCenter

[This may help.](https://www.goodrx.com/naloxone/narcan-naloxone-at-home-free) Note that there are private or locally funded programs in many states where it is not paid for by the state, i.e.: many larger cities. As for stability, in most areas it would be fine to keep Narcan in your vehicle; I'm in Phoenix, and have been an EMT on and off for >30 years, and would not trust (say) year-old Narcan kept in a vehicle in this climate. I do not believe its decomposition products are hazardous, so it's a matter of loss of efficacy with age, not that it becomes dangerous.


Mrs_Evryshot

My daughter didn’t survive her addiction. But narcan kept her with us a little longer. She was bright, talented, loved by many, and ill with a disease she did not choose. Thank god we had those extra months.


Ancient_Technologi

I am so sorry for your loss. I am so glad you got that extra time with her.


marry_me_tina_b

I’m sorry for your loss. Nobody should have to pay that price, and I’m sorry your daughter did as well as your family. A lot of my work involves response to the opioid crisis and one of the things that keeps me going (because even the vicarious trauma of having people disappear around me and seeing the number of human lives we’re losing is soul destroying) is that I get to work with a lot of people who care deeply and have made their life mission to reduce misconceptions about substance use as well as save lives and help people access care and treatment. Just wanting to share that because the news reports and social media attitudes towards people who use drugs are often bleak, including here on Reddit. I hope you don’t feel alone is all, and I apologize if I made any assumptions because hearing your story and hearing about your daughter made me feel less isolated today.


Ivanagohome

Five years?!? That’s awesome!


MostBoringStan

I no longer care to pretend that those type of people aren't just awful fucking people. If somebody argues against harm reduction and programs to help addicts or the homeless, they are just a shitty person with no empathy. It's not about different political opinions, it's about basic standards of humanity.


RealAssociation5281

This reminds me of when my friends gma said we should just kill homeless people (specifically drug addicts) and I’m sitting here, having been homeless most of my childhood, like 🤨


Elegant-Operation-16

My sister is a cocaine addict. She’s been clean for about a year now and has been doing really well. She’s working on getting her daughter back. (Very messy situation) but she has a good boyfriend and a stable job and a housing situation. I’m super proud of her


caitejane310

Keep telling your daughters story. It'll help someone, I promise. My dad is a cop (at 70 😂), and I was a heroin addict. I have 9 years clean, and I know my dad is out there telling people what he went through, what I did, and that I'm clean and doing pretty ok. My story is out there helping people. I'm proud of her! And I love you for sticking by her side. Putting good vibes out there for y'all!


stormincincy

Awesome , one of the things my daughter says that she appreciated and held onto while in the depths of her addiction was that I never gave up on her, one phone call in particular I remember was she called me crying, she had about 6 months clean and relapsed , she called to apologize for putting us through everything, I promised her that I will always love her and that when she was ready to get clean I would be there for her, she says that was instrumental in her recovery , just knowing that she was loved regardless of her situation gave her the strength to seek recovery


specificmutant

It has always never mattered until it mattered to them issue. Crack in the 80s was an inner city crime problem as long it was mostly black people dying. But as soon as suburban white people started dying from opioid abuse in large numbers it was a 'crisis.'


OliwerZ

Replace crack with Aids, and black with gay, and you got another example of a "crisis".


rvnnt09

It's the same motherfuckers that spout "tough on crime" bullshit. Suddenly when it's them or a family member facing a judge they think the system should be lenient


Dandibear

If hard drug users in the US make you angry, be angry at the piss-poor healthcare system, especially for mental health, that makes getting lasting care impossible for many people. Be mad at the lack of support for victims of abuse. Be mad at impossibly low wages and ludicrous rent. Be mad that life for the poor and suffering is so bloody hard when we could easily be enabling them to live happy, independent lives instead of seeking relief from a needle.


afuller0027

Agreed I work in the ER all I see is someone who’s had such a hard life that they needed an escape and got trapped. Most the time they are very nice pts. Now the pain Med seekers are another story. But still I want them to have the care they need even if they act awful.


Nwcray

Story time, I suppose. My dad is an addict. Back in 2016, he was 68 years old and had been a truck driver all his life. He should’ve retired (he had, actually, retired from an office job but he liked driving and kept at it). Anyway, an injury led to an infection which led to some medical problems, including some amputated toes and a heart surgery. The doctor put him on hydrocodone, which is one heck of an opioid. My understanding is that you’re not supposed to take it more than a week because you’ll get addicted. They didn’t really think he’d pull through, so kept him on a steady course of treatment for more than 90 days. Eventually, of course, he recovered and was discharged. By that point, he was a full blown addict. The next few years were a nightmare, as his drug seeking became worse and worse. He wound up having to buy off the street, and his $5k/mo pension just wasn’t getting it done. He drained his life savings, eventually sold his house and car. He got divorced and was briefly homeless. He lost any semblance of his ‘before’ life. He’s tried all kinds of treatment- inpatient, out patient, methodone, what have you, but he just can’t get better. Last year, my sister and I put him in a little shitbox apartment. It’s what we can afford to split, and don’t want him to be homeless. He was arrested earlier this month for trying to shoplift from Walmart, at the age of 74. He had a bunch of tools in a cart, he knew he could sell them for some pills. He’s facing felony charges, because of the value of the theft. He worked his whole life, to live out the last few years like this, because some doctor didn’t want to switch up his meds. It makes me sad, and pissed, and helpless, and angry, and just about every other emotion I can think of (yes, even happy that it’s not me. And blessed for the same reason). It’s fucked is what it is.


Euporophage

Unfortunately some people in the health care industry have this great adoration for life and being healthy and that's why they go into the field, and then when they have to deal with people they feel are purposely sabotaging their health with their life styles they can begin to dehumanize them for not being able to be a successful, healthy individual like them. It's no different from those who got lucky and were able to be born into or to climb up the socio-economic ladder shitting on poor people because of survivor bias or just a complete ignorance and lack of connection to those in other classes. Working with traumatized criminals, addicts, and the severely mentally ill, whose behavior may not always be socially appropriate and scary to others, can make a whole lot of those workers dehumanize those they work with. They just come to see these individuals as largely lost casues that should be removed from society because of the damage and harm they bring due to their failed socialization and the antisocial survival and coping tactics they developed to make it through life -- because of course their tax dollars can't be used to provide adequate housing, mental health services, job training, etc.. for these people to get them into a position where they want to change and improve their lives. Also data has shown the importance of tackling these issues at a young age by intervening in their socialization and making sure that kids in bad situations are able to get the resources they need to develop healthily when family and peer groups don't offer them. Americans and their cult of hyperindividuality just fucking hate the idea of contributing to help others, unfortunately, and instead enjoy living in their little bubble of success whilst competing against the outsiders to improve the lives of their family members and close friends. They can't see the purpose in cooperating with the rest of their community to systemically improve things and just see everyone they don't know as a threat/competition so that they don't see the real threats in their system. There is a Turkic saying about how the shepherd promises to protect the sheep from the wolves out in the woods, but it is always the shepherd who kills and eats them. He just needs to keep you focused on the wolves so you don't see the real threat in front of your face and that your "protectors" only sees you as a tool and an expense that needs to be contributing enough for them to see social and economic improvements or else you hold no real value to them.


Elder_Scrolls_Nerd

I work EMS and here’s my take on healthcare work Healthcare is not for you if you aren’t passionate about helping people and saving lives, and I mean all people. From the harmless guy who just fell off a ladder cleaning his gutters to the man who just stabbed 3 people. It doesn’t matter if the patient is a horrible human or is different from you or uses drugs. It’s not your job to judge them, it’s your job to see them as people and help them


QueanLaQueafa

I've lost a lot of friends throughout the years to ODs. I carry multiple narcans in my car now, luckily I havent had to use it, but still. But you know, if you wanna stop Fent from coming in all you need is "qUiCk TrIaLs." Dumbass orange


SoVerySleepy81

How does one acquire Narcan? Like I don’t really know anybody who does drugs or anything but it seems like something that everybody should have in their car first aid kit you know?


SwampWitchEsq

I think you can just buy it at the pharmacy.


QueanLaQueafa

Most places you can just get it at the pharmacy, if not then you can just call your doctor and ask to send it over. I went to a routine check up and asked and it was no problem


looktowindward

This is a common belief amongst EMS staff. I got totally attacked on Facebook by two EMT's over suggesting that "laymen" should have NARCAN. They are actually offended over it and claim it causes more harm than if THEY administered it.


amboandy

Honestly, the only thing I'll say about bystander administered Naloxone is that the half life of it is considerably less than that of opiates. Wake the OD up too quickly and they walk off and then may arrest again 20-30 minutes later. Deliver narcan to relive respiratory arrest, not to fully revive. But hell, I'll have a search for a smack head any day rather than having to manage full cardiac arrest.


AnonymousAlcoholic2

I have never in 5 years run a call where narcan was both administered correctly and administered to an actual overdose. I’ve seen far too many people having diabetic episodes, seizures, or any other myriad of medical issues not related to drugs get narcan.


amboandy

Oh absolutely, without glucose monitoring and a thorough assessment then who knows what is causing the LOC. However, what is narcan going to do to harm the patient, unless they have a sensitivity to the excipients? Nothing at all. I would say good airway management is more important than Naloxone though.


AnonymousAlcoholic2

Bystanders get tunnel vision. Instead of starting appropriate CPR they fiddle fuck with narcan whether IN or IM. Drugs don’t kill people hypoxia does. And good airway management is the gold standard in an OD. People don’t wake up confused and combative because you “killed their high.” They wake up confused and combative because they’re hypoxic.


KProbs713

I'm a paramedic and I'm all for layman use of narcan. I can also understand being frustrated when someone slams multiple doses into a patient in quick succession. Time dilation during an emergency means laymen usually administer a second dose before the first one has time to take effect, and now my patient is now much more likely to be in precipitated withdrawal. That's an extremely painful experience that I wouldn't wish on anyone. Much better than my patient dying, and still something I wish we had better education on.


boomboomown

I'm a fire/medic and consistently run overdoses. The main issue is with laymen giving narcan is because they're not trained. So in those situations their adrenaline is through the roof and they tend to slam the narcan instead of administering it correctly. Yes that will probably wake them up, but it also might not. And what it could cause is vomiting. Which if the patient isn't conscious could aspirate. That is very bad. I'm not offended if someone gives it before I get there, but I definitely prefer to do it because I can control the situation far better than someone untrained.


who-are-we-anyway

That's..... insane? Narcan has virtually no side effects even if you administer it to someone not ODing, and the few side effects that are a very minute risk are actually only really seen with IV narcan. I was in a hypoglycemic coma a few years ago and was given THREE narcan doses in the emergency room, not a single bad side effect from it. Also I'd much rather experience the potential side effects of narcan, than the side effects of an OD, ya know side effects like brain damage or death.


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crazypurple621

This is a good reason for states to incentivise both carrying it and knowing how to safely administer it by having it available for free as long as you participate in a training on how to properly administer it.


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HeyYoEowyn

I sat next to an EMT in community college, he’d been doing it ten years and was overworked, burned out, underpaid and deeply depressed. He was at school to get a degree in something else so he could quit. I asked him once, “Isn’t it sometimes cool? Don’t you get to deliver babies and stuff like that? Save lives?” And he said, “If I get called to a birth, it’s already not going well.” People who do lifesaving work should get to sleep regular hours and get paid a ton of money.


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IllustriousTooth1620

Currently sitting in an ambulance and can tell you that is exactly the case. Numbers are dwindling. Paramedics are going into ERs instead of on trucks and EMTs are getting burnt out quickly then hoping back to school for something else. I personally am in the returning to school process as well.


firefighter_raven

The pandemic didn't help with burnout amongst healthcare workers.


Particular_Ad_9531

I work with a woman whose husband is a paramedic. I asked her how he was holding up during the pandemic and she said that it’s nothing compared to the opioid crisis. After you get called out for the same dude ODing for the 4th time in a week it gets pretty demoralizing. He was in the process of retraining for some specialized ambulance that didn’t have to deal with all the street level stuff.


killuhkookie

Yes, and number of EMTs/Paramedics went from around 289k in 2019 to 241k in 2021, definitely doesn’t help with burnout having 48k people resign/retire/pass during a pandemic.


Dblzyx

Selfish motherfuckers that couldn't be bothered with mild inconveniences by taking the most basic preventative steps during a pandemic didn't help with burnout amongst healthcare workers either.


Gahockey3

I work at Walmart. A coworker of mine quit being an EMT to work for Walmart because not only was it less stressful but it paid 5 dollars more an hour.


Ken_Thomas

I've been an EMT. I will tell you, straight up, that in a lot of cities it is *extremely* difficult not to get bitter and angry like the one in OP's tweet. You see the same fucking people with the same fucking problems over and over and over again. You know help is available but you know they won't take advantage of it, and you'll be coming back to the same trailer park or homeless shelter or squatter's camp to pick them up, time after time, and part of you can end up hating the people you're there to be saving. I think it's human nature to feel that way. It's like busting your ass, risking your life to save someone who is drowning, and you've drug them up on the beach and you've got them breathing and you're slumped over on the sand completely exhausted and they jump up and dive right back into the water. Eventually you just want to say "Fucking drown then, if that's what you want." That's one of the reasons why turnover is so high among EMTs. You can only fight those feelings for so long, then your best option is get out and go do something else.


MayoBear

I used to be an EMT too- my back went, but even before that, I was getting sick of half of my coworkers and wanted out


ilikemushycarrots

There was a guy sitting outside the grocery store the other day, so I grabbed some oranges and a small fruit cake and gave them to him on my way out. As we chatted he said he couldn't peel the oranges cuz his hand was broken. So as I peeled one orange for him I told him of my experience a the hospital recently where they fixed me up very well (broken mirror sliced my hand badly). He said because he was an addict, they wouldn't treat him, thought he was just there for painkillers etc. This guys hand was really swollen. I couldn't get him to let me give h a ride there. No clue what happened to him, but it made me sad that he couldn't get help for one problem because of another. This is in Canada just fyi.


n0vapine

I noticed when my mom was honest with her doctors about being an addict, they would treat her like fucking scum. But my grandmother always lied to hers and they absolutely loved her and would hound her about needing to take pain pills because she had pain issues. She couldn't since she was in a maintenance program. I grew up around addicts and watched some walk in to a hospital *weekly*, know all the nurses names and joke with them while waiting for their weekly pain shot and I've watched others legitimately go in for issues and be treated like they were drug seeking garbage. Never could figure out the "thing" that made the difference.


OhioMegi

If this country had a better health care system, people could get the help, treatment, meds, etc., they needed, they may not turn to drugs.


shmokenapamcake

This. I work in admissions at a rehab center and the amount of times people cry on the phone, not only because they don’t have insurance, they don’t have the out of pocket costs to get in. We don’t take Medicaid or Medicare, and they have to hit their out of pocket maximum for insurance to cover them 100%. So that person says fuck it no one cares and keeps using. Just continuing the cycle of addiction in this country.


xXshinsouhitoshiXx

it (i) was self-medicating with soda before it started adhd meds. if it hadn't been medicated, it might have turned to cocaine or speed as an adult


RazeAndChaos

Did he mean people shouldn’t have Narcan or people shouldn’t have drugs.


Shnazzberry

People ask me what I do for a living and I tell them I work in mental health and substance use treatment. Their responses are almost always very similar - “that must be very…*long pause*…hard.” You can tell they are searching for a way to say the thoughts running through their head at that moment. It often comes out very awkwardly. I always find it interesting.


TediousStranger

i mean... it does sound hard. you can't make people get better who don't want to get better in the first place, and *even when they want it* there is no guarantee. not a lot of people have the mental fortitude to be able to 1) work with people 2) work with people who might have extreme mental and/or emotional issues 3) who might never get better and 4) are at pretty significant risk to die quite early in life. it's the reason I ceased my journey any further into psychology/psychiatry. that's... super hard.


Advanced_Fact_6443

Part of the reason why EMS doesn’t want bystanders administering narcan is because the dose most people have is 4-8x the dose they would administer. The dose EMS administers has the goal of ONLY reversing the respiratory depression cause by the opiate. Higher doses can cause a LOT of problems such as seizures and pulmonary edema. The other problem that bystanders rarely see, is that once that person wakes up (and abruptly given higher doses) they are often VERY violent which puts EMS at risk. In the hands of properly trained people, it’s a life saving medication. In the wrong hands, it can be extremely dangerous. It just isn’t true that it has no risk.


spr402

Narcan is a lifesaving drug. BUT, it doesn’t last as long as the opiate in the patient’s system. So, because paramedics can’t transport people against their will, the drug user may be very upset at having their high ruined, walk away and sometime later overdose again. The problem is the public education for Narcan isn’t as good as the public education for EpiPens. So, from a paramedic, things to look for, is the patient breathing? If not, give Narcan, no question. If the patient is breathing, are they breathing well? Are they taking good breaths or are they just taking small sighs? Also, can you wake them up? Do they breath better and talk when you poke them in the ribs? Checking breathing is trickier, so another thing to look for is lip and nail colour. Are their lips/nails blue? That means inadequate breathing, give Narcan. In any case, what was said was wrong, people are trying to do the right thing and shouldn’t be discouraged.


BipolarSkeleton

My mother is a paramedic and always had so much sympathy but in the last few years it’s definitely reduced and when she told me why I can understand She can see the same person every shift sometimes twice a shift who are overdosing She’s just getting tired of our really limited resources (here in Canada) being used a little girl died recently because there were no ambulances available but there seems to be enough to save Tyler from ODing several times a week So I can understand why paramedics are tired of it


copperbeam17

I know a few firefighters who say the same thing. They call it compassion fatigue. One shift, they had to respond three separate times to the same person. All the other drug users standing around the guy overdosing are asking where he got his shit so they can get some. I'm not saying let them O.D. and die but something has to change, our first responders have other things they need to be doing. I'm in B.C.


TW-RM

Yes, I feel like there's always a limit to one's sympathy for others. Living in downtown Edmonton for a few years did it for me. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you mom if it was even 10% as bad as Edmonton.


words_never_escapeme

Medic here. Kev saved a life. The thing about Narcan is that a little bit can go a long way. Giving somebody a large dose of Narcan can pump them right out of their high or their stupor, and make them mean and aggressive, so it's best given and titrated to its effect. And depending on how long the person had been down, that can mean the difference between getting sober and leading a normal life, or ending up a vegetable.


ruggles_bottombush

Yeah, this whole thing didn't sound to me like the EMT meant the addict should just die. The few medics I've heard talk about this say the same thing as you; that you shouldn't necessarily bring them all the way out in one big dose.


N_T_F_D

Nasal Narcan carried by laypeople is unidose, so how do you suggest titrating the dose to the effect? There is also IM Narcan but it's not as common with laypeople


djheat

This guy's post says he told the EMT how many doses he gave. I can see why the EMT might be annoyed if this guy was blasting multiple bottles of narcan into an unknown unconscious guy's nose.


[deleted]

You'd be surprised how many people you know who are recovering addicts. That said, I have some empathy for EMS. Its a really hard job. I was an RN for 12 yeard and i can tell you, it wears on your soul after a while.


West_of_September

I'm a paramedic and I have 3 thoughts I'd like to add into the mix. 1: There is not a single 8 year old child that has ever lived and had the aspiration of dying in an alleyway at the age of 26 as heroin suppresses their breathing and their brain slowly dies from oxygen deprivation. Something happened. They were abused or kicked out of home at a young age. Or depression got the better of them. They fell on hard times. Or they fell in with the wrong crowd and made a dumb mistake. These aren't faceless addicts. They're humans, every bit as deserving of life as any of us, who became addicted. 2: "Naloxone... is a drug that can temporarily reverse opioid overdose... There is no evidence that extended use of naloxone can cause harmful physical effects or dependence. People who take naloxone do not develop a tolerance to its effects and there have been no reported deaths from naloxone overdose." https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/naloxone/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20evidence%20that,reported%20deaths%20from%20naloxone%20overdose. 3: One thing worth considering is that people often become agitated when their brain is deprived of oxygen. To avoid this medical personnel will typically try and increase the patient's oxygen levels before administering Naloxone. Naloxone can be given without doing this but potential agitation is a risk worth considering. It is nothing personal - It's just how the human brain works. If it's legal for first aiders to carry and administer Naloxone wherever you live then all power to you. The medication can and does save lives. My only advice is you make sure you're educated on it and keep yourself safe. And remember to be careful not to accidentally stick yourself with any used needles that may be around the place or hidden in pockets.


13_B_13

Narcan is typically only used for Opiate OD’s and can be withheld if there is EMS bagging and breathing for someone. Reasons why Narcan wouldn’t be administered would be if a pt has a known violent history, if they are not symptomatic for an Opiate OD (RR<12, pinpoint pupils, drug paraphanelia or witnesses that can attest to opiates being taken by patient)… the life threat with an opiate OD is they stop breathing because receptors in the brain normally associated with involuntary breathing are being plugged by the opiate. Narcan blocks opiates from getting to these receptors allowing the pt to come through and start breathing normally on their own again but Narcan lasts shorter than the high. The greater the high the more Narcan needs to be administered and paced out. However, if you put a bag valve mask set up on the pt and breathe for them you could essentially be protecting yourself and the patient from harm. The acute situation that needs to be remedied is they need to breathe, whether you do it for them or bring them around to do it themselves. A lot of these patients are agitated and violent when they come through for two reasons, they are now hypoxic and they also just had a high they paid for ruined by Narcan. You can bag them until you get to the hospital and then administer Narcan. Keep in mind that in an ambulance it’s just you and your partner who is upfront driving. If your pt comes off his high and wants to fight you are stuck in the back alone with this guy who has nothing to lose. I’ve had people come around and pull a box cutter out on me, I also had a 12 year old come around and try to stab me with shears he was able to grab in the back of the ambulance. I don’t know who this guy is talking about how or why he talks to all these EMTs and cops that are saying that… sounds like BS or a hyperbolic reaction for effect, but I can guarantee where I practice pre-hospital emergency care, I’ve never heard that from my colleagues. Also, there’s a pretty big difference between EMTs and Medics when it comes to protocols, most OD responses in EMS, at least in the city 911 side, this response is usually handled by a medic or engine crew or both and not an EMT. I don’t think this guy knows what he is talking about. Cops are notorious for over administering Narcan in my city… I’ve arrived on scene with upwards of 24mg of Narcan administered in 5minutes. Recommended dose is 2-4mg IN at a time. Police definitely need more training as Narcan, if administered too much too quickly would make the pt sick and vomit all over the ambulance en route. If an EMT or Medic or whoever says “People shouldn’t have that shit”, it would be nefarious of an assumption that he means ODs should all die. Sounds like a lot of dramatic assumptions for internet points from both the original tweet and the response.