A letter to MyRye.com from Addictions Specialist Genevieve Weber is a call to action. She speaks from professional experience but also personal experience, having lost her own brother to an opioid overdose.
To MyRye.com:
This weekend, Rye had a story worth celebrating. Officer Lauren Duffy administered Narcan to a man in his 20s and saved his life. She acted fast, and Narcan did exactly what it was meant to do: give someone another day and another chance to seek treatment.
Thank you, Officer Duffy.
But during International Overdose Awareness week, I can’t help but think about what comes before the lifesaving emergency intervention. What are we doing before Narcan becomes necessary?
This question is very personal to me. Nine years ago, I lost my brother Todd to an opioid overdose. Around that same time, Rye lost six of its own to overdose.
Narcan saves lives. But it is a safety net, and not a solution.
The landscape is changing, and risky substances are hiding in plain sight at neighborhood corner stores. Kratom, 7-OH and increasingly potent cannabis products can be found alongside the candy and drinks our kids buy every day. Parents need to know what is out there, and we need to be willing to talk about it.
Did I get your attention? Good. That is my goal both as a mom of three teenagers and an addiction specialist in Rye: start the conversation before there is a crisis. As a community we must rally around prevention.
Talk to your kids. Ask what they see, hear and know. Do not wait until you need Narcan to start talking about drugs.
RyeAct and the Rye Youth Council are trailblazers in keeping our community informed and the conversation going. On October 13, they are joining forces with M. Kim O’Connor & Associates for a free virtual conversation about kratom, 7-OH and other risky substances. More details to come. I’ll be there.
Today, we are deeply grateful for Officer Duffy’s quick thinking and access to Narcan. One life was saved and one family got more time. But Rye’s goal cannot simply be to become exceptionally good at responding to overdoses, but rather exceptionally good at preventing them.
Officer Duffy did her part. Now it’s our turn.
In memory of my brother Todd, rest in power.
– Genevieve Weber, PhD, LMHC-D
Addictions Specialist, M. Kim O’Connor & Associates
Associate Professor, Hofstra University
