April 2019 is the 33rd annual alcohol awareness month and is sponsored by NCADD. This year’s theme for Alcohol Awareness Month is “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow”.
The goal of Alcohol Awareness Month is to educate everyone possible about the dangers of abusing alcohol, increase awareness, and to encourage people to reach out to the public about recovery and help reduce the stigma associated with the disease of alcoholism.
On September 19, 2018 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded over $396 million to combat the opioid crisis.
Being around the medical field for most of my adult life, I have seen the effects that opioids and other drugs can have on people. More and more stories are being shared in the media recently, like the recent overdose of pop star Demi Lovato. I’ve seen my share of overdoses as well, but I never thought it would hit so close to home as it did recently.
Naloxone (also known as Narcan™) quickly reverses the overdose caused by opioids. It is a medication specifically designed to bind together with opioid receptors in order to restore a normal respiratory rhythm to someone who has complications with breathing as a result of overdosing with prescription opioids or heroin. This antidote cannot get a person high. If a person takes or is given this medicine, it will not have an effect on him or her.
