• Be very careful about using after you have been sober for awhile, such as from being in jail, detox or a treatment program. Many overdoses happen after people have been off the drug for a short time.
• ‘Taste’ your shot first, by shooting just a small amount to see how strong it is.
• You never know what you are going to get when you buy on the streets, so always taste your shot!

• Avoid mixing heroin with other drugs, or especially alcohol, as this can increase the chances of overdose.

• Don’t use alone. If you are with someone, they can do something and call 911 if you overdose.

• Get trained in the use of naloxone to reverse an overdose. Train your friends or family to give you naloxone in a muscle shot if you overdose. Your local needle/syringe exchange may be able to train you.
• If you do stop an overdose with naloxone, it is important to watch the person for the next couple of hours, since heroin lasts longer than the effects of naloxone and the overdose can return. If they are on methadone, you may need to watch them even longer.

• Avoid doing these things, which DON’T work: shooting someone with a stimulant (cocaine, etc.) or saltwater, putting them in the shower/bath, putting ice on their genitals, slapping them or pounding on their chest, walking them around, etc. Although many people try these things, they do not help the person.

• If you aren’t able to get naloxone, you can still do something when overdose happens.
• A heroin overdose stops someone from breathing, so in the event of an overdose, the best thing to do is to help them breathe. You may be able to learn rescue breathing from your local syringe/needle exchange program.
• You can also find instructions on rescue breathing and other overdose information at: www.anypositivechange.org, including an instructional video in responding to opiate overdose.