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Opioid Overdose and Drink Spiking: Prevention and Protection
Prevent and protect yourself from opioid overdose and drink spiking by picking up a free Party Safe toolkit at your college's Student Health and Wellness Center. Each kit includes:
- Box of Narcan (two doses)
- Fentanyl test strips
- Drink spike test strips (tests for Ketamine, GHB, Scopolamine, Cocaine, and "amine"-based drugs)
- Drink cover
Educate Yourself
Fentanyl continues to be a major contributor to drug overdoses in California. Overdose can occur due to misuse of prescription opioid drugs or by purchasing drugs on the street or through social media.
Learning how to quickly recognize and respond to signs of opioid overdose reduces the number of opioid-related deaths. Educate yourself, peers, students, family members, friends, and colleagues about the dangers of opioid use.
What is Narcan/Naloxone?
Narcan nasal spray is used during a suspected opioid overdose. The California Department of Health Care Services Naloxone Distribution Project provides it for free. Check out How to Use Narcan/Naloxone and Quick Start Guide for Narcan to learn more.
Drink Spiking
Drink spiking occurs when someone puts alcohol or other drugs into another person's drink without their knowledge. Drugs used in drink spiking include:
- Benzodiazepines, which include Rohypnol ("Roofies") and can cause muscle relaxation, slurred speech, loss of motor coordination, and headache.
- GHB, which has no color or smell and can cause drowsiness, sleep, and short-term memory loss.
- Ketamine, which can distort one's reality, has a strong, bitter taste, and has a rapid onset of effects.
- MDMA, which includes drugs like Ecstasy, Molly, and XTC, and may lower inhibitions.
Be Prepared
Before
- Make a plan with friends for checking in throughout the event; stay and leave together.
- Let others know where you are going and when you plan to be home.
- Charge your phone fully before heading out.
- Be prepared: bring Narcan and Fentanyl and drink spike test strips and drink covers.
- Make sure you have a sober driver (designated driver or rideshare).
During
- Order, watch, and carry your own drink; don’t leave a drink unattended.
- Use drink cover and test strips.
- Discard drinks that have an unusual taste or appearance.
- Test any drugs you take for the presence of fentanyl and encourage others to test.
- Be aware of your and your friends' surroundings.
- Trust your instincts: if you are uncomfortable, leave or don’t take a drink or use a substance.
After
- Alert a trusted individual of any concerns and get immediate help and/or call 911.
- Leave with your group, do not leave anyone behind.
- If something does occur, aftercare help is available if needed. Talk with a trusted source or reach out to the Student Health and Wellness Center.
- Take care of your body and mind with hydration and sleep.
Know the Warning Signs
Warning Signs of a Drink Spike
- Feeling lightheaded or faint
- Sleepiness
- Nausea
- Headache
- Loss of reflexes
- Feeling "out of it" or unable to think straight
- Speech difficulties
- Loss of consciousness
- A severe or unusual hangover
Warning Signs of an Opioid Overdose
- Unresponsive to voice or touch
- Slow, irregular, or stopped breathing
- Pinpoint pupils (the center part of the eye is abnormally small)
- Pale, clammy skin
- Blue or purple fingernails and lips
- Slow heartbeat or low blood pressure
In the Case of an Emergency
- Alert a trusted person such as venue management or security.
- Call 911 and seek professional medical attention. (Medical Amnesty laws protect individuals who seek professional assistance in case of emergencies involving alcohol or other drugs.)
- Never leave a person who may have been the victim of an opioid overdose or drink-spiking unattended.
Additional Information
- Harm Reduction Services
2800 Stockton Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 456-4849
Limit of two kits per person. - SANE (Safer Alternatives thru Networking & Education)
2211 Del Paso Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95815
(916) 397-2434 - Gender Health Center
3823 V Street
Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 455-2391
For harm-related inquiries, call (916) 620-1908 - Sacramento LGBT Community Center Harm Reduction Order Form
1015 20th Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 442-0185 - Golden Rule Services
4433 Florin Rd. Ste. 860
Sacramento, CA 95823
(916) 427-4653
Use the following resources to learn more about opioid overdose prevention:
- 70% of all drug overdose deaths in the US involve opioids.
- Factors that increase the risk of opioid overdose include:
- Using or taking drugs while alone
- Mixing drugs
- Being sick or having a chronic disease
- Not knowing what drugs you are consuming
- Overdosing on opioids depresses the brain's respiratory drive. Breathing slows excessively or stops entirely. Death is caused by a lack of oxygen.
- Opioid drugs include Fentanyl, oxycodone, Hydrocodone, heroin, tramadol, codeine, morphine, and methadone.
- Anyone can save a life during an opioid overdose by learning how to administer Narcan (naloxone), a life-saving drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdose and restores breathing.
- SB 367, known as the Campus Opioid Safety Act, requires campus health centers at most public colleges and universities to offer students free Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose.
- AB 461 Requires community college districts and California State University (CSU) campuses to stock and distribute fentanyl test strips and provide information about the use and location of fentanyl test strips.
- AB 1524 requires community college districts and CSU campuses to stock drug testing devices, as defined, available and accessible, free-of-charge, in the health center located on each campus and post a notice on these requirements in a prominent and conspicuous location, as specified.