Overdose Reversal Training Draws Large Crowd

Co-sponsored by the Glen Cove EMS and Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, presenters shared personal family stories of loss and addiction, discussed the warning signs of opiate use, explained the triggers to how abuse escalates from pills to heroin and reviewed other important information before conducting the Narcan training.

Users who become addicted to heroin often start with opiates in pill form. These highly addictive drugs are very hard to kick, even long term. Once the brain receptors open to these drugs, they never close. So, it becomes a long term, even lifelong battle to resist going back to them, whether an oxycodone pill or heroin.

It doesn’t take long before the pills aren’t strong enough to get the same “high” or they become harder to find. Heroin has become easy to buy and as cheap as $5 a hit. Because heroin is stronger now than it was when popular in the 1960s and 70s, it can be snorted, even ingested to achieve the same “high” as injections once required.

A particularly compelling speaker during the event was RoseMarie Sherry, who took Narcan training just in case she could save someone’s life someday, having no idea that she would someday need her kit to save the life of her own son. Ms. Sherry’s children were good students, boy scouts and were raised in a loving home. So, she is the perfect spokesperson for the, “If it happened in my family, it can happen in anyone’s” awareness crusade.

“I know people whose children were saved with Narcan and those who couldn’t be saved because they didn’t have a Narcan kit,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “As parents and communities, we have to do everything possible to combat this terrible epidemic. Aside from educating our children, an important step in saving lives is for everyone to receive Narcan training and have the kit in hand in case it is ever needed.”

Leg. DeRiggi-Whitton wishes to thank all of the attendees and volunteers who helped make the event successful, especially the Glen Cove Fire Department for their generous support overall and allowing the event to take place in their firehouse.

Visit nassaucounty.gov/overdose to learn more about Narcan training sessions or other overdose prevention.