Substance Use and Addictions
The risk of poisoning from drug or alcohol use on Siksika Nation is high at this time. You can’t save yourself during drug poisoning, but we can save each other. Don’t use drugs alone. If you’re using drugs, or are with someone who is using, these are the signs and symptoms to watch out for. If they happen, don’t leave things to chance, call 911 immediately.
Call the Addictions Services Team at 403-734-5687 between the hours of 8:30am-4:30pm on weekdays, or call 403-734-1212 after hours for support.
You can’t save yourself during an overdose, but we can save each other. Don’t use drugs alone.
If you’re using drugs, or are with someone who is using, these are the signs and symptoms to watch out for. If they happen, don’t leave things to chance, call 911 immediately.
Have a naloxone kit nearby, and administer the naloxone to the person who may be experiencing an overdose.
Signs & Symptoms of an Overdose:
- Slow or no breathing
- Unresponsive to voice or pain (can’t wake them up)
- Blue lips or nails
- Gurgling or snoring sounds
- Choking or vomiting
- Cold and damp skin
- Narrow (tiny) pupils
- Stiff body or seizure-like movement
What to do if you Spot an Overdose:
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Call 911: do this if the person does not respond when loudly calling their name or to a painful stimulus like a shoulder squeeze. Canada’s Good Samaritan law protects those saving the life of someone who overdoses
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If a person can wake up and talk to you, keep them awake until EMS arrives
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If the person does not respond, look for blue lips and/or finger nails. Get ready to give Naloxone
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Prepare Naloxone, nasal into nostril or administer injection into thigh (needle can go through pants)
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Turn person on their side. Do no leave person alone, stay with them until help arrives
What are opioids?
Opioids are drugs with pain relieving properties that are used primarily to treat pain. Opioids can also induce euphoria (feeling high), which gives them the potential to be used improperly. Opioids can also be produced or obtained illegally.
Opioids can be prescribed medications:
- codeine
- fentanyl
- morphine
- oxycodone
- hydromorphone
Opioids are addictive
If you have been taking opioids for a period of time, your body becomes accustomed to or tolerant of that opioid dose. You may require increasing amounts of the opioid to get the same effect.
If you stop taking the drug for a few days and then start taking the drug at the same dose you were used to, it may increase chances of an overdose. This is because you lose tolerance to the medication when stopping it, even for a few days.
When someone is affected by substance use disorder, or addiction, the drug becomes the focus of their feelings, thoughts and activities.
If you have been prescribed an opioid medicine, it should:
- only be taken as prescribed
- never be used by someone for whom it was not prescribed
- never be taken with alcohol or other medications (except as prescribed)
Keep your medication safe to help prevent problematic use by others by:
- never sharing your medication with anyone else
- this is illegal and may also cause serious harm or death to the other person
- keeping track of the amount of pills remaining in a package
- storing opioids in a safe and secure place, out of the reach of children and teenagers
Save a life, carry naloxone
How naloxone works
Naloxone is a safe and fast-acting medication that can be used by anyone to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid overdose.
Naloxone can restore breathing within 2-5 min when an opioid overdose is suspected and recognized.
If you suspect an overdose:
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Call 911: do this if the person does not respond when loudly calling their name or to a painful stimulus like a shoulder squeeze. Canada’s Good Samaritan law protects those saving the life of someone who overdoses
-
If a person can wake up and talk to you, keep them awake until EMS arrives
-
If the person does not respond, look for blue lips and/or finger nails. Get ready to give Naloxone
-
Prepare Naloxone, nasal into nostril or administer injection into thigh (needle can go through pants)
-
Turn person on their side. Do no leave person alone, stay with them until help arrives
Naloxone is safe
You cannot use naloxone improperly and does not create dependence. It is safe to keep a naloxone kit on hand.
Types of naloxone kits available
- Naloxone nasal spray is sprayed directly into the nose, where it is absorbed. It starts to take effect in 2 to 3 minutes. Learn how to give naloxone spray (video).
- Naloxone injectable is injected into any muscle in the body, such as the arm or thigh. It starts to take effect in 3 to 5 minutes. Learn how to give a naloxone injection (video).
What is meth?
Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It takes the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol.
The street drug is usually a white crystal-like powder, called “crystal meth.” This powder can be snorted up the nose, smoked, swallowed, or dissolved and injected into a vein.
Methamphetamine most often causes a general feeling of wellness (euphoria) that is most often called a “rush.” Other symptoms are increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, sweating, restlessness, dry mouth, elevated body temperature, and large, wide pupils.
The length of time methamphetamines stay active can be much longer than for cocaine and other stimulants. Some paranoid delusions can last for 15 hours.
Prognosis
How well a person does depends on the amount of drug they took and how quickly they were treated. The faster a person gets medical help, the better the chance for recovery.
Psychosis and paranoia may last up to 1 year, even with aggressive medical treatment. Memory loss and difficulty sleeping may be permanent. Skin changes and tooth loss are permanent unless the person has cosmetic surgery or dentistry to correct the problems. Further disability may occur if the person had a heart attack or a stroke. These can happen if the drug caused very high blood pressure and body temperatures. Infections and other complications in organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys, liver, and spine, may occur as a result of injection. There may be permanent damage to the organs even if the person receives treatment. The antibiotics used to treat these infections may also result in complications.
The long-term outlook depends on what organs are affected. Permanent damage may occur, which may cause:
- Seizures, stroke, and paralysis
- Chronic anxiety and psychosis (severe mental disorders)
- Decreased mental functioning
- Heart problems
- Kidney failure that requires dialysis (kidney machine)
- Destruction of muscles, which can lead to amputation
A large methamphetamine overdose can cause death.
What is an alcohol overdose?
An alcohol overdose occurs when there is so much alcohol in the bloodstream that areas of the brain controlling basic life-support functions—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down.
Get Help Immediately
Do not wait for the person to have all the symptoms to call 911 for help. Don’t play doctor—cold showers, hot coffee, and walking do not reverse the effects of alcohol overdose and could actually make things worse.
Do not leave an intoxicated person alone, as they are at risk of getting injured from falling or choking. Keep the person on the ground in a sitting or partially upright position rather than in a chair.
Help a person who is vomiting. Have him or her lean forward to prevent choking. If a person is unconscious or lying down, roll him or her onto one side with an ear toward the ground to prevent choking.
If you suspect that someone has an alcohol overdose, call 911 for help immediately.
