(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As opioid overdose deaths have continued to reach record levels over the past few years, Illinois has seen another increase: one in non-lethal overdoses, which appears to be linked, in part, to greater distribution of naloxone — commonly known as Narcan.
In August, those distribution efforts took another step forward when the Lighthouse Recovery Center in St. Charles opened a free, 24-hour Narcan vending machine. It’s the first of its kind in Kane County, where overdose deaths increased by 20% over the past four years.
On this week’s episode of Looped In: Chicago, WBBM’s Jim Hanke spoke with Nathan Lanthrum, the clinical director at Lighthouse Recovery, about Narcan access. Hanke was also joined by WBBM’s Lisa Fielding, whose 2016 series “Generation Heroin” centered around a handful of suburban residents impacted by addiction.
“Almost every one of us knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone who’s battled heroin, lost someone to heroin or some kind of opioid abuse,” Fielding said.
When it comes to the recent increase in opioid deaths, Lanthrum, who’s in his 20th year as a substance abuse counselor, said the pandemic “blew everything out of the water.” He added that the gradual increases could be traced back to pharmaceutical companies pushing pain pills in the ’90s, but as those pills became less available, dealers starting mixing heroin with fentanyl.
The impact of addiction, he noted, isn’t limited to the user.
“This is destroying families out here,” he said. “This is hurting children, and then generational trauma comes into play, and the reason that I’ll meet their kids in 15 years is because they’re going down this path today.”
That’s part of why Lighthouse Recovery wanted to provide 24-hour, free access to Narcan, which is a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose. Essentially, the drug works to reawaken parts of the brain in order to restore breathing and a heartbeat to someone experiencing an overdose.
If administered properly, with enough time, it can save someone’s life.
“What we're finding out, however … especially with the fentanyl analogs and other things that we're seeing, you need sometimes three, four or five of these to be put up somebody's nose before they're starting to come around,” Lanthrum said.
That’s why Lighthouse Recovery made it so that anyone can get as much as they need, whenever they want. Access to the vending machine is unmonitored, in the hopes that people will feel more comfortable using it.
Lanthrum added that some have criticized the effort to provide free naloxone and have accused his team of enabling drug use.
“It’s purely enabling life, and it’s enabling someone to maybe … realizing somebody cares enough about them that they’re worth seeking help and getting help.
“I can help you tomorrow, if you don’t die today,” he said.
The full Looped In: Chicago episode can be found here.
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