CHARLENE: SO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
WE'VE GOTTEN TOGETHER SINCE YOU LEFT INPATIENT REHAB.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
MARTY: GOOD.
I MEAN, REALLY GOOD.
HAPPY TO BE CLEAN, RIGHT?
BUT, YOU KNOW, SCARED, TOO.
SCARED? WHY IS THAT?
WELL, IT'S EASY TO BE CLEAN IN AN INPATIENT PROGRAM.
BUT NOW I'M BACK IN THE REAL WORLD,
ALL THOSE TEMPTATIONS, TRIGGERS, IT'S--
I GUESS IT'S INTIMIDATING.
LIKE, PEOPLE RELAPSE, YOU KNOW?
IT HAPPENS.
WHAT IF IT HAPPENS TO ME?
CHARLENE: WELL, THERE'S NO INDICATION--
MARTY: AND I'M NOT SAYING IT'S GONNA HAPPEN, RIGHT?
BUT I'M JUST SAYING, "WHAT IF?"
I FEEL GOOD RIGHT NOW, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS
THAT LITTLE VOICE SAYING,
"YOU COULD FEEL BETTER."
AND YOU'RE AFRAID THAT YOU'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO THAT LITTLE VOICE.
I GUESS SO. YEAH.
CHARLENE: ALL RIGHT. LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.
MARTY: OK.
CHARLENE: YOU REMEMBER FROM YOUR SESSIONS THAT IF YOU WERE TO USE OPIOIDS RIGHT NOW,
YOU'D BE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO AN OVERDOSE, RIGHT?
MARTY: WELL, I'M NOT SAYING THAT--
CHARLENE: I KNOW THAT, BUT LET ME JUST FINISH.
WHEN YOU'VE BEEN USING OPIOIDS FOR A LONG TIME,
AND THEN YOU STOP USING FOR A WHILE,
YOU BECOME ESPECIALLY SENSITIVE TO THEM.
YOUR TOLERANCE GOES WAY DOWN.
A DOSE THAT WOULD'VE FELT OK TO YOU BEFORE YOU CHECKED IN TO REHAB
COULD KILL YOU NOW.
SO, WHAT, YOU HAVE A RECOMMENDED DOSE
FOR PEOPLE WHO FALL OFF THE WAGON?
WE DO HAVE A PROGRAM THAT CAN REDUCE YOUR RISK OF DYING
IF YOU DO HAPPEN TO SLIP.
LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
WE'RE PROVIDING A MEDICATION CALLED NALOXONE THAT COULD HELP
SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE IF THEY ACCIDENTALLY OD'd.
I'M ALREADY TAKING METHADONE.
CHARLENE: RIGHT.
NALOXONE ISN'T A MAINTENANCE MEDICATION LIKE METHADONE.
IT'S AN EMERGENCY MEDICATION THAT CAN HELP SAVE A PERSON
WHO'S TAKEN TOO MUCH OF AN OPIOID,
WHETHER THAT'S HEROIN OR PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS
LIKE OXYCONTIN OR METHADONE.
HMM.
CHARLENE: MARTY, IS EVERYTHING OK?
YEAH. I WAS JUST--
I WAS JUST THINKING THAT IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAD BEEN AVAILABLE LAST YEAR,
MAYBE MY FRIEND EVIE WOULD STILL BE AROUND.
CHARLENE: SHE OD'd? MARTY: YEAH.
BUT NO ONE REALLY KNEW IT WAS HAPPENING UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE.
CHARLENE: WELL, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALK ABOUT IN THE BROCHURE...
HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS OF AN OVERDOSE,
HOW IT'S DIFFERENT FROM SOMEONE JUST BEING INTOXICATED.
I FIGURED THE SIGNS OF AN OVERDOSE WERE, YOU KNOW,
NO PULSE, NOT BREATHING.
IT CAN GET TO THAT POINT, BUT THERE ARE SIGNS BEFORE THAT.
IN THE BROCHURE, WE USE THE CLLT APPROACH
TO HELP YOU RECOGNIZE AN OVERDOSE.
"C" IS CHECK FOR VERY DEEP UNCONSCIOUSNESS,
WITH NO RESPONSE TO SHAKING OR SHOUTING THE PERSON'S NAME.
"L" IS LISTENING FOR GURGLING OR CHOKING SOUNDS
THAT MIGHT AT FIRST SOUND LIKE HEAVY SNORING...
SLOW BREATHING-- LIKE, LESS THAN ONE BREATH EVERY 6 TO 8 SECONDS--
OR, YEAH, NO BREATHING.
THE NEXT "L" IS LOOK FOR GRAY OR BLUE FINGERNAILS OR LIPS.
AND THE "T" IS TOUCH.
FEEL FOR CLAMMY, SWEATY SKIN.
ANY OF THESE CAN BE A WARNING SIGN OF AN OVERDOSE.
SO, CLLT: "CHECK, LISTEN, LOOK, TOUCH."
MARTY: YEAH, BUT YOU WERE SAYING THIS IS SOMETHING
YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT FOR ME.
IT'S NOT LIKE I'M GONNA RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS IN MYSELF AM I?
CHARLENE: NO. PROBABLY NOT.
THAT'S WHY WE ALSO WANT YOU TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION
WITH PEOPLE CLOSE TO YOU SO THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO
IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
WE'RE OFFERING 3 DIFFERENT DELIVERY SYSTEMS:
ONE'S A NASAL SPRAY, ONE'S AN INJECTION INTO THE MUSCLE,
AND THE THIRD IS AN AUTO-INJECTOR.
DO I GET TO CHOOSE WHICH ONE I'D RATHER HAVE?
WE'LL MAKE THAT DECISION TOGETHER.
MARTY: I DON'T THINK NEEDLES ARE A GOOD IDEA FOR ME.
THAT'S A PRETTY POWERFUL TRIGGER.
MAYBE THE NOSE SPRAY IS THE BEST ONE.
FAIR ENOUGH.
MARTY: SO, WHAT, YOU GUYS JUST HAND ME A BOTTLE OF NOSE SPRAY
AND I KEEP IT WITH ME?
CHARLENE: THERE'S A LITTLE MORE TO IT THAN THAT.
THERE'S A KIT THAT HAS THE MEDICATION-- ENOUGH FOR TWO DOSES--
THE DELIVERY SYSTEM, AND INSTRUCTIONS.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, I CAN SET UP A MEETING WITH OUR CLINICAL PHARMACIST.
HE CAN SHOW YOU WHAT'S IN THE KIT
AND TEACH YOU HOW TO SET IT UP.
WOULD YOU LIKE THAT?
YEAH, I THINK I WOULD.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA.
BUT...
CHARLENE: WHAT IS IT?
MARTY: I'M WORRIED THAT THIS IS JUST GONNA MAKE ME FEEL LIKE
IT'S OK FOR ME TO USE.
LIKE, "NO WORRIES: HERE'S THIS STUFF THAT MAKES IT SAFE FOR YOU TO GET HIGH."
I GET THAT, BUT I REALLY DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
YOU'RE STILL GOING TO BE GOING TO GROUP AND SEEING US REGULARLY,
BECAUSE, MARTY, YOU KNOW IT'S NOT SAFE TO USE.
OVERDOSE IS JUST ONE OF DOZENS AND DOZENS OF REASONS WHY IT'S NOT SAFE.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS STAY ALIVE LONG ENOUGH
TO LEAVE ALL DRUG ABUSE IN YOUR DISTANT PAST, OK?
OK.
CHARLENE: ALSO, AS WITH ALL MEDICATIONS, THERE ARE SIDE EFFECTS.
NALOXONE CAN CAUSE OPIOID WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS.
HOWEVER, THE ALTERNATIVE COULD BE DEATH IF YOU STOP BREATHING,
SO WE DO BELIEVE THE BENEFITS OF GIVING THIS MEDICATION
OUTWEIGH THE RISKS.
MAKES SENSE.
CHARLENE: ANY MORE QUESTIONS?
CAN I SET UP A MEETING WITH OUR PHARMACIST FOR YOU?
MARTY: YEAH. PLEASE.
AND, UH, CAN MY ROOMMATE LILY BE THERE FOR IT?
I MEAN, SHE'D BE THE ONE WHO MIGHT NEED TO HELP ME IF I EVER NEEDED IT.
CHARLENE: OH, OF COURSE. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
THANK YOU, DOCTOR, FOR THE INFORMATION
AND JUST...FOR CARING.
CHARLENE: IT'S MY PLEASURE.
NOW, LET'S GO OVER THIS BROCHURE A LITTLE MORE CAREFULLY.
THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION IN HERE.
I WANT TO SHOW YOU SPECIFICALLY RIGHT HERE.