NARCAN, it’s not just a nose spray. …I started with South County Bridges after my family made a quick detour into crisis. In a matter of hours WE were living something you’d read about in a news article and think: “That poor family!” … I had an inkling there was something going on, but because I had never done any drugs myself, I had no idea we were there- At the threshold- Jumping without a net.
Within a 24-hour period we had gone from a quick in-and-out of one county’s ER system: “He’s fine”, to having the Crisis Response Team being called to the school and a memory forever seared into my brain of following an ambulance to an in-patient care facility.
It’s been 4 years since that experience, but I still live in fear every time my son is a little “off”.
Let’s imagine that you have a child who vapes: “It’s not nicotine, I promise!” Lets add to this scenario that he/she has a friend who has told him that his current medication isn’t the right medication for his condition. What a pal, right? So, your child stops taking his medication, and then starts again when he doesn’t feel well, and then stops again, and starts… Then the “friend” tells him that a chemical, marijuana/THC, will help them feel better- “it’s natural”. Your child tries what the friend suggests, because all he wants is to feel better. But he doesn’t. And your child, the one you have loved more than anything else in your life, is suddenly leaving this earth because they have been foolish. Their brain is still developing, and they don’t Really understand the consequences of their actions. And they’ve been relying on the medical advice of a child one year older than themselves…Wouldn’t you use any means necessary to save their life so they can have a second chance to get it right? Growing up, I never dabbled in drugs, but I did plenty to endanger my life. How many second chances was I given? Too many to count.
NARCAN is not an enabler. Take a second to think about your own life….That memory that always pops up and you think “Barely made it out of that one”. How different would your life be without a second chance? Now think about this: How different would your life be if you found yourself in a position to save a loved one, but didn’t have the tools? Would you rather say: I lived my life with compassion, or judgement?
As a mother, if my son has that Moment; the Moment every parent fears, I ‘m hoping Compassion is there to help.
What is Narcan? Also known as naloxone, Narcan is a non-addictive medication that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose. The Anne Arundel County Department of Health and the Prevention Coalitions offer Narcan training. To learn more, go to https://aahealth.org/naloxone-frequently-asked-questions/
