C.O.P.E.C.O.P.E.Comprehensive OverdoseComprehensive Overdose

Prevention EducationPrevention Education

What is an overdose?What is an overdose?

Things you can do to prevent Things you can do to prevent overdosing.overdosing.

1)1) Avoid mixing drugsAvoid mixing drugs2) Test the dope2) Test the dope3) Do test shots3) Do test shots4) Prepare your own drugs4) Prepare your own drugs5) Learn to hit yourself if you 5) Learn to hit yourself if you

don’t know howdon’t know how6) Use caution when you are in a 6) Use caution when you are in a

new city, using a different new city, using a different brand, or copping from a new brand, or copping from a new dealerdealer

7) Beware of tar and powder strength differences

8) Stay cool and hydrated when using stimulants

9) Avoid using alone or when your sick

10) Have a plan

AVOID MIXING DRUGSAVOID MIXING DRUGS

BEWARE OF DECREASED TOLERENCE

BEWARE OF YOUR DRUG’S QUALITY

Strength varies from batch to batch, from dealer to dealer, from city to city. The plain truth is that when copping on the street you never really know what your going to get.

USE CAUTION WHEN YOU’RE SICK

When your body is already weak

it has a decreased

ability to cope with

intoxication.

AVOID USING ALONEAVOID USING ALONE

RECOGNIZING AN OVERDOSE1) UNCONSIOUSNESS 2) BLUE SKIN, especially their lips 3)Not breathing or shallow or irregular breathing 4) Slow, quiet or no pulse at all

5)Choking, snoring,or gurgling sounds6) Lying in their own vomit

LETS TALK ABOUT PREVENTION MYTHS

SOME COMMON PREVENTION MYTHS

Myth 1- Walking people around helps.

Myth 2- Putting people in cold baths wakes them up.

Myth 3 - Hurting, hitting or burning can bring them out of an overdose.

Myth 4 – Injecting cocaine will wake them right up.

Myth 5- Injecting people with salt water is an antidote.

WHAT SHOULD REALLY BE DONE…

FIRST:

TRY TO STIMULATE THE VICTIM BY:

SHOUTING THEIR NAME

PINCHING THEIR EARLOBES AND/ORRUBBING YOUR KNUCKLES IN THE CENTER OF THEIR STERNUM AGGRESIVELY

PERFORMING RESCUE

BREATHING:

Before performing rescue breathing…1) Open his/her mouth to clear their airway2) Sweep a finger inside their mouth to remove

anything you see from gum to vomit (wearing a glove is ideal)

3) Once the mouth is cleared place your head next to their nose and mouth

4) LISTEN for breathing, snoring, gurgling or wheezing

5) LOOK at the chest to see if it is rising or falling

If they are breathing slowly or not at all BEGIN RESCUE BREATHINGUse the head-tilt chin lift method to open the

airway as illustrated

FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO RESCUE BREATHING

1)Put one hand under the neck and lift up

2) Place fingers of the other hand on forehead and tilt the head back

3) Tilt the head back without closing the mouth

4) Place the barrier over the mouth

5) Pinch the nose

6) Take a deep breath

7) Cover the mouth with yours

8) Establish a tight seal

(mouth to mouth)

Steps to rescue breathing continued…

9) Give two slow breaths

10) Blow enough air in the mouth to make sure that the chest rises. If the chest does not rise, gently tilt the head further back and try again

11) Count to 4 between breaths ( one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three- one thousand, four-one thousand )

12) Breath again

Continue rescue breathing until:

• The person starts breathing on their own

• An ambulance arrives

• Someone can take over

If all goes well

You Just saved someone’s life

The recovery position