Officials concerned overdoses may rise during holidays

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) Bartholomew County Hub, 1531 13th St., Suite 1102 in Columbus, is a source where people can find potentially life-saving naloxone and fentanyl test strips.

Local officials are expressing concern about the potential for a seasonal rise in drug overdoses driven largely by stress and isolation during the holidays.

During the holiday months, Columbus Regional Health’s Treatment and Support Center, or TASC, 2630 22nd St., generally sees more patients missing appointments and dropping out of treatment, said TASC Medical Director Dr. Kevin Terrell. Even those who stay in treatment often express difficulty this time of year.

And with local overdose deaths already at their highest levels on record, officials fear that the death toll could climb higher during the holidays. As of Dec. 6, there had been 37 confirmed overdose deaths in Bartholomew County this year, the highest annual total on record.

“We’re going into our fourth winter, and every time we get into this time of year, we tend to see people missing appointments, people in some cases dropping out of treatment,” Terrell said. “… Overdoses tend to creep up during this time of year, and it’s always really sad.”

Holidays can be particularly stressful for people in recovery and those who are actively using substances in part due to increased stress and the isolation from family and loved ones that can come with substance use, Terrell said.

In addition, some people who are in recovery may have grown up in households where multiple family members were using drugs and are actively trying to avoid contact with family while they are in treatment.

“I’m sure there are a lot of … factors in play here. One of them I have to think is related to the isolation of substance use disorders,” Terrell said. “People who begin using a substance, whether it’s alcohol, opioids, meth, or whatever the case may be, they tend to get marginalized because of their behaviors and sometimes stealing from family members to support their habits, and so they end up isolated, and the only people that are around are fellow substance users. That isolation plus the substance abuse, plus the guilt and shame that goes along with substance using, I’m sure that adds to depressive-type symptoms.”

Terrell encouraged people to reach out to those they know are using substances either in person or by phone to check on them during the holidays to let them know that “there is someone thinking of that person” and “there is someone out there who cares.”

Terrell also is encouraging people to keep a stock of naloxone, a nasal spray that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose that is often sold under the brand name Narcan.

Earlier this month, the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress, or ASAP, received 1,500 doses of naloxone from the Bartholomew County Health Department.

ASAP has been distributing naloxone at the ASAP Hub, 1531 13th St., as well as in public plastic boxes available outside the Hub and at the Bartholomew County Public Library.

In addition, ASAP officials said they would start distributing naloxone and fentanyl test strips at local bars, liquor stores and other locations throughout Bartholomew County to get “harm-reduction supplies closer to people who might use them.”

Fentanyl test strips seek to help drug users determine whether a drug contains fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that officials say is a major contributor to a historic rise in overdose deaths in Bartholomew County.

“I believe everyone should have Narcan with them at all times, whether they have a loved one who uses drugs or not,” Terrell said. “…You just never know when you might need it.”