Naloxone: Another Chance at Recovery

Erin L. Winstanley, Ph.D. 
March 2019

All too frequently we read reports in the media of communities that are considering limiting overdose survivors' access to naloxone, a life-saving medication that reverses respiratory depression caused by an opioid overdose. For those working in the addiction treatment system, we know that relapse is part of the recovery process for many clients with an opioid use disorder (OUD). We cannot predict the number of relapses a client may experience on their path to recovery, but research suggests that it may take cigarette smokers 30 or more quit attempts to achieve long-term cessation (Chaiton et al. 2016). Opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) services are critical to ensuring that clients with an OUD have another chance to achieve recovery. 

Read the complete story in the March 2019 issue of the ATTC Messenger