The pharmacist's eyes flickered with curiosity for just an instant when I asked for a free Naloxone kit.
I'm a bespectacled, rather chubby middle-aged mom, after all.
Not the person most would think would need or want to carry a kit aimed at halting an opioid overdose.
But therein lies the rub — we all should be carrying these life-saving kits.
The provincial government and the BC Pharmacy Association made take-home Naloxone kits available at pharmacies free of charge last year.
An average of 127 people die per month in this province from an illicit drug OD.
Anecdotally, I know of about a dozen in the Sea to Sky Corridor.
When my kids were little, I took a CPR for infants course. The hope was I would never need to use it, but I wanted to be prepared. The risk of not being prepared was too high. We should feel the same about this opioid crisis. The risk is too high not to know how to save a life.
I got my kit at the Squamish London Drugs. It was easy and learning how to use it was even more so.
There is no downside. If you end up using it on someone who didn't need it, no harm is done. The flip side is, it can save the life of your neighbour, friend, child or that of a Squamish resident you have never met before, but who will never forget you.
The cases I hear most often locally are of people going to bed and not waking up. So if you use, don't do so alone.
The Coroners Service stats show that in 2018, 86 per cent of deaths have happened inside and in almost 70 per cent of the cases, the person was alone when they died.
Have someone with you who stays awake.
No matter who you are, get yourself a Naloxone kit.
They are available free of charge at all BC London Drugs’ locations.
