Skip to main content

Injecting Advice

Overdose Workshop

Written by Nigel Brunsdon on . Posted in .

Each year we lose far too many people to overdose (lets face it, one person dead is ‘too many’) so I decided it was about time I wrote a new workshop to try and help address the situation.

This latest workshop covers a range of overdose issues and has been designed to be run either as a full workshop, or as separate sections in NSP or one to one sessions.

This is one of the biggest pieces of work that I’ve produced in the last year for the site (about 2 months to make, test and format), and I’m really happy with it. The workshop is split into the following sections:

  • What’s your score? A form of risk assessment for overdose that can be used as a motivational tool for change.
  • Overdose quiz. Full of myth busting facts, although this appears to be only a short section it has so far been the cause of some of the longest discussions when we’ve run the workshop.
  • Overdose symptoms. An interactive session that identifies knowledge gaps on both opiate and stimulant overdose.
  • Recovery position. Interactive (physical) section demonstrating the formal recovery position and discussing its practicalities.
  • Overdose promise. Section trying to get people to commit to stay with people who overdose
  • Promotional poster. That can be displayed in projects and partner agencies
  • Other resources. All of these sections have extensive worker notes to help you run the workshop either as a complete session or as separate pieces of work on a more one to one basis.

The sessions are really good with loads of areas you could spin off into discussions. Good interactive type sessions, it’s really open to the needs of any group

Stephen Heller-Murphy

Extras

After the initial popularity of this workshop I designed a couple of extra resources.

One of the areas of the workshop that lends itself to being used on its own is the ‘Whats your Score’ risk assessment. Because it’s so suited to being used as a quick intervention tool I’ve designed a promotional poster to go up in projects.

For people who prefer to use a presentation while running workshops I’ve designed a ‘Prezi’ to go along side which can be viewed from the link below.

Writer: Nigel Brunsdon

Nigel Brunsdon is the owner of Injecting Advice. He’s been working in harm reduction since the 1990’s, previously a frontline needle programme worker he now splits his time between photography and developing online resources for drugs workers and users.

Nigel Brunsdon

You might also like

Acidifiers Advice (Part 1)

Written on . Posted in .
Not all acids are created equal, but they do all have risks. ‘Brown’ heroin (ie Afghan heroin sold in Europe) and crack cocaine both require the user to ‘cook down’ their drug with an acidifier if they are going to be injected. But which are the b…

The Sharing Question

Written on . Posted in .
Every drug worker asks the question “Have you shared injecting equipment?”. It helps us measure risk factors for issues like HepC, we need it for our stats (its one of the questions the National Treatment Agency insists we ask), and it has a lot o…

Injecting Without Drugs

Written on . Posted in .
What do you do when someone come into an NSP who isn’t injecting drugs, this week I’d like to talk a bit about someone I recently saw who has a different reason for injecting.