WINNIPEG – A naloxone training session became an emotional experience for a group of mothers whose children have been struggling with drug addiction.
Around 18 members of The Addict’s Mom, a support group for parents, were showed how to administer naloxone by health officials at Street Connections outreach centre on Wednesday night.
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“I actually in the middle of it broke down crying,” said Sherry Isaac, a mother with the group whose daughter is in recovery.
Some members of the group who took the training had actually lost a child to addiction, said Isaac.
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“In a group of women that have yes, lost their children to addiction, it was probably the closest thing we could give them other than giving them their children back,” she continued.
Naloxone counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose. The kits are available in some pharmacies in Winnipeg but to purchase them the buyer must undergo a brief training session with a pharmacist.
“We did not realize how much of a demand, people are calling us all the time whether it’s for information about them or how do we get them,” said Shawn Chohan, a pharmacist at Tache Pharmacy who was at Wednesday night’s training session.
A big reason why this type of training is becoming more popular is the rise of fentanyl, an opioid responsible for several, recent overdose deaths in Winnipeg.
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“This drug is burying too much treasure, it really is,” said Marciana Dankewich, another member of The Addict’s Mom, whose daughter used to battle a drug addiction.
She came away with a sense of optimism after learning how to battle the deadly effects of fentanyl.
“To be able to come together in a situation that offers so much hope was invigorating,” said Dankewich.
Members of the group will be hoping for a similar feeling when they sit down with the province’s health minister next week to talk about addiction and drug abuse.
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