How to reverse an opioid overdose

Summary

Post Reports: How to Reverse an Opioid Overdose – Detailed Summary

Published on February 24, 2025 by The Washington Post

Introduction

In the February 24, 2025 episode of Post Reports, hosts Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi delve into the critical subject of reversing opioid overdoses. Through firsthand accounts, expert insights, and comprehensive analysis, the episode elucidates the life-saving role of naloxone, commonly known by its brand name Narcan. The discussion highlights personal stories, the science behind overdose reversal, distribution strategies, and the broader public health implications.

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1. A Heroic Act: Jalanta Bennell’s Intervention [00:30 - 01:47]

The episode opens with the compelling story of Jalanta Bennell, who, in March 2023, saved a man's life on a Brooklyn subway platform. Recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose, Jalanta employed Narcan—a nasal spray form of naloxone—to revive the unresponsive man within seconds.

Jalanta Bennell [01:26]: “The Narcan appeared to work. Soon police arrived and the other bystander stayed with the man. And Jalanda hopped on her train.”

2. Understanding Naloxone: What is Narcan? [03:27 - 04:17]

Producer Alana Gordon explains Narcan as a brand of naloxone, a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses. Naloxone has been available since the 1980s in medical settings and became available over the counter in 2023, enhancing accessibility.

Alana Gordon [03:33]: “Naloxone is the drug that reverses an opioid overdose. And then Narcan is one of the brands.”

3. Distribution and Accessibility of Naloxone [04:17 - 06:05]

The discussion highlights the extensive efforts to distribute naloxone widely, supported by government initiatives and grassroots activism. Programs ensure naloxone is available without a prescription, often for free, especially in high-risk communities.

Alana Gordon [04:45]: “Especially during the pandemic, we saw an even bigger spike in overdoses. And around that time, the Biden administration expanded its overdose strategy and drug control strategy nationwide.”

4. Identifying Those at Risk [06:05 - 07:50]

Alana elaborates on the populations most at risk for opioid overdoses, including individuals using illicit drugs, those with a history of overdose, and individuals recently released from incarceration or treatment. The prevalence of fentanyl in street drugs further exacerbates overdose risks.

Alana Gordon [06:16]: “People who use illicit drugs of any kind are most at risk, opioids in particular, but it's a wide variety as well... Fentanyl is this synthetic opioid that's so much more potent than heroin.”

5. Overcoming Stigma: Public Perception and Criticism [09:10 - 10:05]

The conversation addresses societal concerns that distributing naloxone might enable drug use, drawing parallels to the criticisms faced by needle exchange programs. Alana asserts that evidence does not support the notion that naloxone distribution increases drug use; rather, it serves essential public health needs.

Alana Gordon [10:05]: “Public health experts really stress that interventions like syringe exchanges don't encourage drug use. The evidence just doesn't point to something like that, increasing drug use, but rather improving health.”

6. Recognizing and Responding to an Overdose [14:53 - 16:40]

Alana provides a medical overview of opioid overdoses, emphasizing the suppression of respiratory function. She outlines the practical steps for bystanders to identify an overdose, including checking for unresponsiveness, lack of breathing, and physical signs like limpness and blue-tinted skin.

Jalanta Bennell [14:53]: “So, Alana, I want to know when to use naloxone. So first let's just start with how to tell if someone is actually overdosing or not. So just medically speaking, what is an overdose?”

7. Administering Naloxone: A Step-by-Step Guide [16:40 - 20:01]

The episode provides a detailed walkthrough on administering naloxone. This includes verbal and physical prompts to assess responsiveness, the application of naloxone via nasal spray, and the importance of calling emergency services. Alana emphasizes readiness and the non-harmful nature of naloxone when used appropriately.

Alana Gordon [19:23]: “You're gonna take this naloxone. You can see this spray here. You're gonna open it and you're put that up that person's nose and you're going to spray it.”

8. Personal Experiences: Survivors and Responders [24:11 - 28:35]

The narrative includes testimonies from individuals like John Alston, an outreach specialist with personal overdose experiences. John shares his memories of being revived by naloxone, the immediate onset of withdrawal symptoms, and the emotional impact of witnessing the concern from loved ones.

John Alston [27:57]: “Yeah, I would say that it's remarkable. I am so happy for naloxone. It's so readily available that I am so happy, but yet it's still people ODing out here.”

9. Emotional and Psychological Aftermath [23:07 - 27:11]

Alana and the guests discuss the intense emotional toll on both the administrator and the recipient of naloxone. Survivors recount the disorientation and fear upon waking from an overdose, while responders like Sarah Laurel highlight the need for compassionate bedside manners to ease the traumatic experience.

Sarah Laurel [21:23]: “If somebody is opioid dependent, it's going to be extremely uncomfortable. If somebody's overdosing on opioids, the naloxone immediately puts them into withdrawal.”

10. Broader Public Health Implications and Hope for the Future [29:12 - 30:10]

The episode concludes with reflections on the impact of naloxone distribution on reducing overdose deaths. Alana notes a hopeful trend in declining overdose numbers, attributing it to increased accessibility and community efforts, while acknowledging the ongoing challenges posed by drug use in isolation.

Alana Gordon [29:12]: “One of the biggest risks for people overdosing that we haven't mentioned is when using alone. So there are so many situations where someone may have naloxone or may have the power to save somebody's life, but they don't know because the person's used alone.”

Conclusion

Post Reports effectively underscores the pivotal role of naloxone in combating the opioid crisis. Through engaging storytelling and expert analysis, the episode not only educates listeners on the mechanics of overdose reversal but also humanizes the struggle against addiction. By empowering individuals with knowledge and resources, the podcast advocates for a compassionate and proactive approach to saving lives.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jalanta Bennell [01:26]: “The Narcan appeared to work. Soon police arrived and the other bystander stayed with the man. And Jalanda hopped on her train.”

• Alana Gordon [03:33]: “Naloxone is the drug that reverses an opioid overdose. And then Narcan is one of the brands.”

• Alana Gordon [04:45]: “Especially during the pandemic, we saw an even bigger spike in overdoses.”

• Alana Gordon [10:05]: “Public health experts really stress that interventions like syringe exchanges don't encourage drug use.”

• John Alston [27:57]: “I'm so happy for naloxone. It's so readily available that I am so happy, but yet it's still people ODing out here.”

Production Credits

• Producer: Ariel Plotnik
• Mixed by: Sam Baer
• Edited by: Lucy Perkins with help from Maggie Pemmin and Allison McAdam
• Additional Thanks: Anjumin Ali

Hosts

• Elahe Izadi
• Martine Powers

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This detailed summary captures the essence of the episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened.

Transcript

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[Jalanta Bennell]

March 2023, Jalanta Bennell was going about her day, about to hop on a subway in Brooklyn, New York.

[Narrator]

So I walked into the station and I noticed a woman standing there sort of staring at the ground. And when I got a little closer, I saw that what she was staring at was a guy who was lying face down on the platform.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Jalanta and this woman could tell something was wrong. The man looked sick, unresponsive, and needed help. They decided to call 91 1. Then Jalanta had a thought. This man could be having an overdose. And then she remembered she had something that could help. Narcan Nasal spray. It's the brand name for this medication, naloxone. It can reverse an opioid overdose fast.

[Narrator]

So I thought, well, okay. And I got the Narcan out and I rolled him over and I gave him the narc. And about 10 seconds later, so he started waking up.

[Jalanta Bennell]

The Narcan appeared to work. Soon police arrived and the other bystander stayed with the man. And Jalanda hopped on her train.

[Narrator]

And then when the train came, I got on the train because there didn't seem to be anything else for me to do. The EMS was on their way. The cops were there.

[Alana Gordon]

I think Jalanta's experience is really striking because here's somebody with pretty minimal training who has the power to save a life. Essentially.

[Jalanta Bennell]

That's Alana Gordon. She's a producer for Post Reports. And she was recently digging into national health data about drug overdoses in the US While there are signs of decline, the number of people dying nationwide from overdoses has eclipsed 100,000 annually between 2020 and 2023. But overdoses don't have to be fatal. The opioid crisis has prompted a big response across the country. And in 2023, naloxone became available as an over the counter drug. That means anybody can get it without a prescription. Some communities even distribute it for free. From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. I'm Elahei izadi. It's Monday, February 24th. Today I talk with Alana about how to use Naloxone. And how anyone who has it can save a life. Okay, so let's just dive in. Alana, what exactly is Narcan?

[Alana Gordon]

Yeah, so Narcan is an overdose reversing medication. It's a brand of naloxone. So.

[Jalanta Bennell]

So naloxone is the drug.

[Alana Gordon]

Yeah, Naloxone is the medication that reverses overdoses. And then Narcan is one of the brands. There's other brands, too, that have been approved for over the counter, but this is the one that most of us recognize. And, you know, some people, I've heard it used as verbs. Like, someone got Narcan. And a lot of people just have wound up using Narcan and Naloxone interchangeably. But for this interview, I have a box of Narcan to show you.

[Jalanta Bennell]

So you're showing me, like, this box. It's, like, maybe the size of my palm. And it's not heavy, just sounds. And it looks like there's like, a little. Oh, I can open it up.

[Alana Gordon]

We're not gonna open up the actual.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Oh, the drug. Okay, so I'm opening up, and there's two cartridges, and it looks like a little nasal spray. And in fact, it does say it's a nasal spra.

[Alana Gordon]

Yeah. So what this is. This is a medication, and inside is naloxone, and it's basically an overdose reversing medication specifically for opioids. In 2023, these types of nasal sprays, there's a couple different kinds, were made available over the counter without a prescription. So someone can walk into a pharmacy and just ask for it. In many communities, like in D.C. there's designated pharmacies where you can walk in and actually get it for free.

[Jalanta Bennell]

So is it widely distributed? Is it like government programs?

[Alana Gordon]

Yeah, absolutely. So especially during the pandemic, we saw an even bigger spike in overdoses. And around that time, the Biden administration expanded its overdose strategy and drug control strategy nationwide. And so a lot more resources went into programs, public health groups, harm reduction groups, and local cities and communities to make this of it more widely available to people.

[Jalanta Bennell]

That's interesting.

[Alana Gordon]

Naloxone. You know, it's amazing to see naloxone available so widely. But this came on the backs and shoulders of hard work of activists for years. Naloxone is not a new drug. It's been used since the 80s in hospitals and by paramedics. And then starting in the 90s and really picking up in the late 2000s, a group of activists and people who were seeing their friends dying of overdoses Got together with a doctor, they would distribute naloxone around the country to groups, to harm reduction groups to try and address this. And so what we're seeing is a lot of this work to get to this point where it is so widely available, built on years of efforts pushing to have this drug be in the hands of people who can have the ability to save someone's life.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Alana When I think about who should be carrying naloxone, it leads me to wonder who's most at risk for an overdose, like, who needs this medication the most?

[Alana Gordon]

So people who use illicit drugs of any kind are most at risk, opioids in particular, but it's a wide variety as well. If someone's concerned about someone around them, a loved one, friend, family, using drugs like opioids, that's also a good person to have it. And then, in general, like, people are at higher risk of overdosing if they've overdosed before, if they've stopped using opioids and then use again. You can lose your tolerance, thinking that you can use a higher level than your body's actually equipped for. So that's when you think about someone who's left jail or prison or treatment even. Another big risk factor for overdoses, an important thing to think about right now is street drugs in general. I mean, they vary from region to region depending where you are. But what's increasingly happening is that drugs that aren't opioids that people are taking, like cocaine, might actually have a powerful opioid called fentanyl in it without people realizing. Fentanyl is this synthetic opioid that's so much more potent than heroin. It's been replacing heroin increasingly in the drug supply. It's been driving a lot of the overdose deaths we've been seeing in recent years. And it's really something that's increased the risks in general of overdoses.

[Jalanta Bennell]

I see. So really, anyone using illicit drugs could be at risk of an overdose. Therefore, having this counteracting drug to reverse an overdose would be essential. But what about someone like Jalanta? Is she just someone who walks around and thinks, I should just have this in my bag?

[Alana Gordon]

So in Jalanta's situation, a few years back, she was at a holiday party at a friend's, and that friend had a daughter who had died of an overdose years earlier. So during this party, this friend actually, like, was like, hey, everyone. And her husband was like, I want to show you all how to respond to an overdose. I want to tell you about naloxone, because this, this could save someone's life. This could save someone like my daughter's life. I wish I had this at the time.

[Narrator]

Oh, gosh. It was just kind of obvious, I guess, as soon as there was such a thing as a kit to carry around, and I've always got a backpack, and it just seemed like, well, how could this not be something that I would do if I can do it?

[Jalanta Bennell]

Do we know how widely it's being used, how widely it's being distributed?

[Alana Gordon]

I mean, during the pandemic, we saw a surge in overdose deaths during a time when we were already in, you know, had already years earlier, declared a national public health emergency. And so we've seen big efforts to get naloxone out to more people, and in particular, people who are using drugs around people who are at high risk, because those are the people who are going to most likely be in the right place at the right time to save a life. And even in the last couple years, we've seen an increase in those responses by regular people being first to the scene and responding and using naloxone before emergency response responders arrive.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Yeah, like before a paramedic. That's. That's wild.

[Alana Gordon]

Yeah.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Alana, hearing about how widely distributed this medication is and how potent it can be to reverse the effects of an overdose, it does make me wonder if there's any criticism of distributing it so widely, because it sort of reminds me of the. The pros and cons or the criticism of, you know, free needle exchange programs in various cities across the country over the years. The idea being, let's distribute needles that are clean to drug users so that we can counteract potentially, you know, the spread of hiv, aids, because this is, like one of the main ways it's being spread in this community, for instance. But the criticism of that being, well, you're just encouraging or enabling, rather, drug use. And I'm wondering, in this case, with this medication, is there a criticism and what do public health experts have to say about why they think it's important to distribute this medication?

[Alana Gordon]

I can understand that that is a pretty common question that people have. Public health experts really stress that interventions like syringe exchanges don't encourage drug use. In fact, they may even help people get services to take better care of themselves. The evidence just doesn't point to something like that, increasing drug use, but rather improving health. The research and evidence around whether naloxone increases, for example, overdoses or risky drug use, public health researchers and the studies that I've looked at have not found that and in fact, the people I've talked to stressed, who've both researched this but also have experienced overdoses or responded have all discussed how this is a really difficult situation. Overdosing, being revived can be a very, very uncomfortable experience. It means that you may have been at risk of dying. It can be extremely uncomfortable. If you are dependent on opioids, you immediately go into withdrawal. And so many of the people I've talked to want to avoid being narcanned. It's not something people want.

[Jalanta Bennell]

After the break, Alana walks me through how to use naloxone and what it's like for someone to experience an overdose reversal. We'll be right back.

[Cascade Natural Gas Representative]

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[Jalanta Bennell]

Alana I want to know when to use naloxone. So first let's just start with how to tell if someone is actually overdosing or not. So just medically speaking, what is an overdose?

[Alana Gordon]

Yeah, medically speaking, what happens with an overdose is opioids hit these receptors in your brain, these special receptors. It might make you feel really good. It also slows down the mechanisms in your body that remind yourself to breathe.

[Jalanta Bennell]

So, okay, that's what's happening inside of someone's body. But how can I just a person walking down the street, you know, going on the subway. How can I tell whether the person I'm passing by who's maybe slouched over on the ground is sleeping or having an overdose?

[Alana Gordon]

Sure. I want to also just like point out that like those situations, like the story that Jalanta experience is like so powerful and incredible but also not the norm. Like the more common situation is like someone who's using drugs is with somebody.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Or like you know, the person.

[Alana Gordon]

Again, it can be anybody. But either way, giving someone naloxone who isn't overdosing won't harm them.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Okay.

[Alana Gordon]

And so the idea of like what's, what do I have to lose by doing that? Now if somebody is overdosing, there's some clues that you can look for.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Okay, so yeah, what are some of those clues?

[Alana Gordon]

So the main clue is like someone's not responsive and they're not breathing. 1 like quick check is like do you see their chest lifting? Like, do they look like they're breathing? Somebody's body might become limp. Their pupils might be smaller. If you're looking at them, their lips, their fingers, their face might start turning blue. If they're lighter skinned or like gray or ashen if they're darker skinned.

[Jalanta Bennell]

So, Alana, now let's say you've done the checks that you do and you now think the person you're seeing has overdosed. What's your next step? What do you do?

[Alana Gordon]

I actually talked to a lot of people about this who've experienced overdoses, who've responded, and it's really eye opening to learn about, like, what these experiences actually are like, and what sort of tips and insight we can all gain from that to be better equipped to respond. One of the people I spoke to was a woman named Sarah Laurel. She's 38, and she runs Savage Sisters Recovery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It operates a lot of sober living homes, and she runs a ton of naloxone trainings for all kinds of groups. And Sarah brings actually her own personal experience to this work. She used to be in a corporate job in marketing. She struggled with opioid addiction for a few years. She lost her job at one point. She was unhoused.

[Sarah Laurel]

Yeah, I've been reversed several times when I was in my active use, and I've reversed. I can't even count hundreds.

[Alana Gordon]

And so she has a lot of really interesting tips around some of the straightforward ways to recognize and respond to an overdose. So the first quick thing is like, okay, you think someone might be overdosing, Check on them.

[Sarah Laurel]

The first things you always want to do is you want to try a verbal and a physical cue. So that just means going, yo, buddy, clap your hands. You know, are you good? Can I help you? And see if they respond. Typically, if somebody is not experiencing an overdose, they will respond and tell you to get off them. And you would get off them. And that's what we want. We want them to respond.

[Alana Gordon]

The next step is to do some kind of quick physical prompt. One option is this thing called a sternum rub. It's basically where you press your knuckles into a person's sternum, that part in their chest, with enough force kind of back and forth for a few seconds, it can stir them. It's uncomfortable. It's a pressure point. Sarah actually prefers something else. It's called a nail bed press, where basically you press your thumbnail down on the part of a person's thumb or finger where that nail meets the bottom where their cuticle is. That can also cause enough discomfort to elicit a response from somebody. It's also a little bit less invasive, especially for someone who's a female. And if there's still no response, no breathing, nothing, then it's like, call 911, call emergency responders, and get out that naloxone to administer it.

[Jalanta Bennell]

So how do you then administer naloxone?

[Alana Gordon]

Yeah. So in the case of Jalanta, she encountered that man who was face down on the ground. You obviously need to move them over, so you roll them over gently towards you. And then you're gonna take this naloxone. You can see this spray here.

[Jalanta Bennell]

I see this little spray. It's in a little plastic container.

[Alana Gordon]

You're gonna open it and you're put that up that person's nose and you're going to spray it.

[Jalanta Bennell]

And is it a one. Just one nostril.

[Alana Gordon]

One nostril.

[Jalanta Bennell]

And that's all you need to do?

[Alana Gordon]

Yeah, that's what you need to do. Sarah also just says to be prepared, that this process can be a little gross, and that's normal.

[Sarah Laurel]

Also, a lot of times when somebody is overdosing, they will have foam or spit or snot or blood coming out of both of their mouth and nose. So when you administer that, that nasal narcan, you want to shove it up their nostril and not just like the outer layer. And I hate to say it like this, but it's kind of. It's kind of yucky looking. But, you know, you want that spray to get up there.

[Jalanta Bennell]

So what happens next?

[Alana Gordon]

So after that, this is like a critical part where the waiting can be really intense. But essentially naloxone gets to work super fast. What it does is, you know, I was saying, in overdose, opioids get into those receptors and they, like, are like, oh, yeah, I'm high, but also forget to breathe. This medication gets to those same receptors and essentially, like, kicks off the opioids and blocks it. Wow, it's going to reverse. Yeah, it can happen super fast. What winds up happening in a lot of instances if someone's overdosing on an opioid is that in many cases, within like one to three minutes, a person may come to. They may be, like, just slowly coming back to, breathing slowly kind of out of it. But it's often very disorienting for a person. They may not recall. They may not know what's going on. Sarah Laurel talks about this a lot with me and others in her trainings. She actually remembers her own experience of being reversed. And just one thing that I learned that really stands out to me is also the way that she has been revived and how people respond to her. That kind of bedside manner can make a big difference.

[Sarah Laurel]

If, when I was reversed, Having four men standing around me and being coming out of unconsciousness, that's terrifying. I don't know what's happened. I don't know if I'm safe. I don't know that you just Narcanned me. So we really try to be mindful of that and not make a person feel terrified.

[Alana Gordon]

In that moment, a person might not realize they've overdosed. They might not remember anything. They might feel super ashamed. I know I mentioned that naloxone won't harm somebody, but if somebody is opioid dependent, it's going to be extremely uncomfortable. Like, if somebody has used opioids a lot, it means that what it immediately does is put somebody into withdrawal, so that a person might immediately start shaking, feel nauseous, vomiting, feel super sick. Sarah Laurel has talked about how increasingly, let's say, because there's a mix of drugs in the drug supply or the drugs, the opioids are so powerful, a person may not come to right away. And in that instance, after about three minutes, if you're not seeing a response, it's often recommended to give another dose of naloxone. If you have another spray, the packets come with two in a box. And the other thing that she really stresses is that as somebody's losing oxygen, the thing that can help them and even save them is rescue breaths or mouth to mouth, if you feel comfortable, if you've been trained, is a super powerful tool, and you don't need a medication for that.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Alana, the other thing I'm struck by hearing you talk about this is how powerful just doing this simple act can be and what that must feel like for the person administering naloxone. And, like, how do they handle that situation?

[Alana Gordon]

It's a really intense situation.

[Sarah Laurel]

Every time it happens, I'm in go mode. I very instinctively move through it. But as soon as that person comes back, I need to walk away. I need to take a couple minutes and just breathe and realize that, like, they're okay and I'm okay and just kind of process what just happened.

[Alana Gordon]

You just encountered somebody maybe you know, and love face blue or, you know, ashen gray, who may have essentially been dying. And you just brought them back?

[Jalanta Bennell]

Yeah. Alana, did you talk with other people who have been on the other side of this experience, the people who did overdose and were revived with naloxone?

[Alana Gordon]

Yeah. I mean, some of those details that I was describing about, like, the confusion or that kind of immediate withdrawal really stood out to me from someone I met here in Washington, D.C. named John Alston. Well, I'm wondering first if you could both introduce yourselves, if that's all right.

[John Alston]

John Alston, outreach specialist for HIPS. And I love what I do.

[Alana Gordon]

So John is 52 now. He works for a local harm reduction agency called HIPS here in Washington, D.C. and he often goes out with his buddy Ronald Armstrong. They've both used drugs in the past and they've experienced overdosing.

[John Alston]

You know, again, like I said, I've ODed several times, and at the time when I started shooting dope, it was. The whole drug scene was different.

[Alana Gordon]

They go out into the community when there's been reports of a lot of overdoses. They check on people, they distribute naloxone and other supplies. Like, there's now ways where you can test to see if illicit drugs have fentanyl in it, which can indicate to somebody that maybe what they're taking might have a different kind of potency, as well as connecting people with services. So John told me, like, when I asked him about, you know, his own experiences overdosing, I mean, he immediately thought to this one moment in particular, it wasn't the last time that he stopped using drugs, but it was a big moment for him. It really stood out. It was more than 15 years ago, and he was at his parents home midday, and he went into the bathroom to inject a mix of heroin and cocaine.

[John Alston]

And next thing you know, when I woke up, I was in the bathtub and all these paramedics was around me, and I said, what happened? So I knew my dope was on the counter. So when I. When they lift me up, I tried to grab it.

[Alana Gordon]

So I asked him in that moment what it felt like to overdose and then be reversed.

[John Alston]

It's like when you go out, you just. You don't remember nothing. All you remember is, like, waking up and the first thing you see is people, unknown people around you, either the paramedics or maybe it might be a friend of yours that you use with or something.

[Alana Gordon]

For John, he was dependent on opioids. And what he told me was that getting naloxone, it immediately put him into an opioid withdrawal. And that's why he said his first reaction was in this disoriented moment. Feeling terrible was to try and find the drugs that were on the table to use again. For John, the other thing that really stands out in his memory, though, is not just that moment of literally overdosing and being brought back, but there was something else even bigger. It was the reaction from his parents. That's really seared into his brain.

[John Alston]

It was just the look on their face that. It wasn't a look of disgust, it was just a look of why. How when you know your uncles, you got friends, you know, all these people that, you know what they went through, that we went through together with them coming up, and how can you turn out like that?

[Alana Gordon]

And, you know, for John, part of his story is over time, through his father's support, you know, bringing him a meal. He was really hungry after driving him to find services. And that for him was part of his trajectory to getting the kinds of medications that put him on a path to now being in the situation where he's, you know, responding and supporting others. The thing that also really strikes both John and Ronald about these situations, looking back, is that years ago, naloxone, this overdose antidote, as many call it, it just wasn't widely available. What do you think of naloxone? How would you describe it? As a tool?

[John Alston]

Yeah, I would say that it's remarkable. I am so happy for narcanoxone. Yeah, Noxone. They got it in stores. You can walk into CVS and get it. We deliver it. You can go different places and get it. It's so readily available that I am so happy, but yet it's still people ODing out here. And that really disturbs me because we both have lost a lot of friends to overdose and Noel Kane wasn't around.

[Jalanta Bennell]

You know, Alana, it's just hearing you describe this, it feels like so often in this world, people feel powerless. Right? There's so much harm going on out there, and it's like, what can I, as one individual, do to a reverse course for someone, or actually do something that can make a huge difference? And here you're telling me about how people are out in communities right now, literally saving people's lives. And I'm just wondering, as you step back and think about all the people you spoke to, everything you saw, everything you learned, how did this leave you thinking about overdoses differently and addiction differently?

[Alana Gordon]

I think that there's like a mixed takeaway. One of the biggest risks for people overdosing that we haven't mentioned is when using alone. So there are so many situations where someone may have naloxone or may have the power to save somebody's life, but they don't know because the person's used alone. And then at the same time, it's really striking that more and more people have access to this medication now and are using it. And we're starting to even see in the last year or so, these numbers of overdoses are starting to go down. It's hard to say just yet what and why. And there's a lot of factors. But what we do know is many people are using this medication. And as much as there can be a lot of, like, caveats and things to keep in mind if someone's overdosing and going through these steps, at the end of the day, you know, what really strikes me about Jalanta's story is like, you can just, it's so easy.

[Narrator]

You know what? It was a lot of good to do for very low effort, honestly. It was like, you know, I mean, people have been giving me, giving me, you know, praise for it and whatever. And I just thought, you know, I didn't jump into a frozen lake to save a drowning baby. It was just, you know, it was easy.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Well, Alana, thank you so much for joining and sharing all this reporting. It's really fascinating.

[Alana Gordon]

Thanks.

[Jalanta Bennell]

Alana Gordon is a producer for Post Reports. That's it for Post Reports. Thanks for listening. Today's episode was produced by Ariel Plotnik and mixed by Sam Baer. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Maggie Pemmin and Allison McAdam. Thanks also to Anjumin Ali. I'm Elahe Izadi. We'll be back tomorrow with more stories from the Washing Washington Post.