In David Van Der Velde’s latest post to to Thrive Global, he warned about a very serious danger that opioid-using people face – fentanyl. The hyper-potent drug is increasingly found in the illicit drug supply and has resulted in thousands of fatal overdoses.
As for a solution, David recommends a variety of interventions, with the goal seeming to be for an at-risk individual to build a recovery support network. This network may include mental health support groups, enrollment in medication-assisted treatment programs, and participation in peer support groups like 12-Step meetings (or the many non 12-Step alternatives). The opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone (commonly known as Narcan) is also a potential weapon in the battle against fentanyl overdose.
Read the entire article on Thrive Global’s website here: https://community.thriveglobal.com/fentanyl-has-upped-the-stakes-of-substance-addiction-relapse/.
David got clean and sober in 1988 at the age of 19, close to death from his own struggles with drug addiction and alcoholism. Now 32+ years clean and sober, he has been consistently active in his recovery community by mentoring others, serves on recovery and youth related non-profit Boards such as LifeWorks and the West Hollywood Recovery Center, and serves on panels at institutions speaking from his own experience about recovery.
Joelene Knight, is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Grace Recovery, a sub-acute and residential treatment program located in Hollywood, California, as well as a Board Member at Awakening Recovery, a unique life-saving nonprofit that specializes in recovery homes with a long-term, 12-Step addiction solution that creates a lasting change in core beliefs and behaviors.