How To Help A Loved One Struggling With Addiction

Knowing what to do during an overdose can be a life or death situation.

FARGO, N.D. – It’s never easy seeing a loved one go through addiction and even harder seeing them almost lose their life because of it.

“Addiction is an issue in our community and we need to reduce that stigma and get them help. So, help our loved ones, help our family members, help our employees, help our co-workers,” Fargo Police Department’s Jessica Schindeldecker said.

Help them and provide them with the necessary means to get access to those resources in the community is key.

“Utilizing the harm reduction center and looking at the North Dakota behavioral health website to find what resources are available in our community,” Schindeldecker said.

“Our syringe service program, which is at our Harm Reduction Center, that program works directly with individuals who inject drugs and so, we provide training on opioid overdose response and prevention as well as distribute Naloxone and Narcan to those individuals,” Robyn Litke Sall with Cass County Public Health said.

Knowing what to do during an overdose can be a life or death situation.

“First step is to call 911, it’s very important to call 911, even if you have Naloxone or Narcan because it does wear off between 30 to 90 minutes and the person could need more narcan,” Litke Sall said.

“The respiratory system is in distress and they’re not able to breath by themselves. That is why it is that you start CPR, chest compression and breathing for them, that will save their lives,” Schindeldecker said.

Fargo Police also encourage loved ones of someone struggling with addiction to have narcan with them just in case.

Click here for more resources on addiction.