Drug service highlights 'tragedy' of overdoses
BBCA drug and alcohol support service has highlighted the "tragedy" of deaths caused by overdoses as it sought to raise awareness of the issue.
Stoke-on-Trent Community Drug and Alcohol Service (CDAS) hosted a community event in the city to teach people how to recognise the signs of an overdose.
The event, held at Longton Exchange Shopping Centre on Friday, also trained visitors how to use naloxone – an emergency medication which reverses life-threatening overdoses.
The engagement and training session came ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day, which is held annually on 31 August.
Clare Lovatt, harm reduction lead at CDAS, said: "Overdose is a tragedy that damages many lives, but it can be prevented.
"By training the public to use naloxone, we are giving our community the tools and confidence to intervene and save a life."
She said there were many reasons why people struggled with drugs, including trauma, mental health issues and poverty.
It was vital to "strip away fear and stigma", Lovatt added, and ensure people knew they "had the power" to help people in distress.
Roz Ryan, tenant community liaison and marketing manager at Longton Exchange, revealed that her brother died from an overdose 18 years ago.
She also recalled an occasion when a man's life was saved after he overdosed at the shopping centre.
Ryan said drugs like naloxone would have saved her brother's life and also spoke of how important it was to tackle the stigma around the issue.
"I think it's probably quite naive to say no town has this issue," she added.
"Every town across the whole country has a problem with drugs or alcohol, so why not arm ourselves with the information to do something about it."
Paul Brownfield, who attended the CDAS event, was the security guard on duty when the man suffered an overdose at the shopping centre.
He said he saw he had collapsed before ringing the ambulance service and putting him in the recovery position.
On raising awareness of the issue of overdoses, he said: "Having [events like] this is very important so people know they have some support and where they can go.
"These people might be homeless, but they still have a heart."
Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
