With the increase in overdoses in our community lately, we thought we should share how to protect ourselves when it comes to drug use.

These are Harm Reduction Strategies to ensure people who use drugs do so as safely as possible:

1. Avoid using alone.

o When using with someone else, avoid using at the same time;

o ❗️Call the OVERDOSE PREVENTION LINE at 1-888-688-6677 (NORS) if you must use it alone❗️;

2. Take extra caution if mixing substances. Mixing substances can increase the risk of harm and drug poisoning

3. Go slow. Always start with a low dose and increase slowly, especially if trying something new or restarting the use

4. Use only new supplies. This reduces the risk of getting or passing on infectious diseases. Supplies are available at through our SOS team, Grey Bruce Public Health, Safe N Sound, and CMHA (Owen Sound, Kincardine, Wiarton, Port Elgin, and Markdale).

5. Get overdose prevention training & carry a naloxone kit (see photos to see how to use a naloxone kit)

For a list of locations that give naloxone kits, visit: https://brucegrey.cioc.ca/bresults.asp?STerms=Naloxone&SType=A&CMType=L

Ontario-wide: https://www.ontario.ca/page/where-get-free-naloxone-kit

Thank you Grey Bruce Public Health for sharing these strategies and training on how to use a naloxone kit.