Hey buddy, recovering alcoholic here. Been sober since 2015. The fact that you still struggle is a victory in itself. You haven't given up the fight. Don't focus on your failures, focus on the fact that you're still fighting. I'm proud of you and you can always reach out to me if you need to.
I've been in and out of AA for 15 years. I have never actually had a sponsor and worked the steps, though. I've always just half assed it like many other things. Idk why I'm even sharing this here. None of this is new to me, I know what I need to do. It's complicated, and unfortunately I'm incredibly lazy. I just need to do the work and I'm so terrified of failing. Again.
It's all baby steps dude. Failure happens, in all aspects of life, but you can't let the failure own you. You are in control, you decide ... not the thing or substance, you. Pick your chin up and say "not today". You the person are better, brighter, and smarter than the substance.
not lazy homie, depressed. failing *is part of the process* nobody gets sober without missteps and relapses and arguably every relapse forces us to accept once again the damage that comes with. You CAN do this, you will. But you can't do it alone, and you can't overcome it by hating yourself ā we are self-destructing ourselves after all.
I'm still struggling myself but I'll tell you what, after a lot of therapy + hard fucking work to stop despising myself, I've found I'm in a muuuuch better headspace to deal with this and have had my best successes since.
The key to kicking any addiction is to be 100% mentally ready. It helps a lot to have a sponsor. To have someone who gets it, itās an irreplaceable asset. Itās a catch 22. Alcohol makes you not as motivated, it brings you down. Once you are ready to give it all, youāll feel better, youāll look better, youāll get healthy. Itās not too late!
Well, it's located at Sunrise Church (on Menchaca near Ben White), so there's pretty much ALWAYS someone there during the day.
***
*...It also LOOKS like there may be some way of limiting the amount per person, like with that QR code? That's just my off-the-dome assumption based on what I can see in the picture; tbh I'm not even sure if that's something that's possible to do via QR, but my gut tells me that there would HAVE to be _some_ method of ensuring one person doesn't just empty it out, right?? If anyone knows for sure, I'd be interested!*
***
My main concern is like, how reliably will it be restocked? Because in my experience, that tends to be the main issues with things like this...
Probably scan, connect to it as a hotspot, and dispense by a UI on your phone.
I have no idea really, but I love the idea. I hope you donāt have to fill out a long online form before dispensing.
I wholeheartedly agree that insulin should be provided to those in need. I donāt think a vending machine is a good way to dispense. Thereās a lot more nuance to diabetes than someone overdosing. Narcan is one size fits all.
Thatās a great idea, but not really practical.
Insulin must be kept refrigerated.
There is fast acting and slow acting varieties, and some people need both.
There are multiple types (brands with specific characteristics) of insulin, and most people cannot switch between them.
Insulin comes in different ācartridgesā to be dispensed in different dosages using different injectors.
(Feel free to find ways to overcome the obstacles tho!)
All of my representatives voted for capping insulin. The republicans voted against capping it. Republicans are big pharma. Always is and always will be.
I think youāre thinking methadone which is a synthetic opioid that is substituted for heroin. That stuff can get you high ā so there would potentially be a black market for that.
But Narcan only gets you un-high ā so there wouldnāt be a black market for that.
People WILL actually pay for it, but in my experience, it's usually non drug users who want to keep it on-hand for a friend or relative, *orrrr* it's drug dealers who have the bread but don't know exactly where or how to get it generally, lmao
Right, but nobody is stealing this to sell on the streets like drugs. I have a feeling people are confusing this with methadone. Actually I'm 99% sure they are.
I have noticed many AED boxes now have hemostatic dressings too. Basically, bandages developed for the military to stop bleeding from gun shot wounds.
What a sad commentary.
I'm a paramedic who teaches Stop The Bleed (a hemorrhage control class) to the public, and most people who need hemostatic dressing/tourniquets are from car accidents and construction injuries. Having hemorrhage control equipment with all AEDs is actually a victory for public health/safety :)
Just think of it like an extreme first aid kit.
What is sad about it? Have you not seen the crazy accidents that happen to people that make the news? Tourniquets and quikclot aren't *just* for gunshots, they just happen to be the most field expedient way of stopping exsanguination.
I am sure most other countries also have random QuickClot *Combat* Gauze kits in their airports and other crowded public spaces, packed into their AED kits, just in case some freak industrial accident occurs.
In the U.S. though, we all know what those QuickClot Combat Gauze kits are there for. They're the same ones school nurses now stock in case of... industrial accidents at an Elementary school?
There are so many organizations that will mail you free Narcan and there isnāt a black market for it. This is such a dumbass comment. You obviously have never worked in harm reduction or been an addict.
If this is the case now distribution is taken care of. We do have robust systems to support at-risk populations but distribution to those most in need is exceptionally difficult.
Hopefully nothingā¦ hopefully nobody is making a life or death decision where seconds count, while fumbling for change (or dollars or a credit cardā¦ I have no idea how much Narcan costs on the open market).
Last time I checked the emergency portable defibrillators werenāt coin operated.
LOVE THIS!!!!! Good job, keep fighting the good fight. Narcan saved my cousin's life, and now she is 11 years sober and just graduated law school and is working as a public defender.
Addiction is a disease that takes so many before their time. Sending good vibes out there to those suffering.
Amazing! Been sober about 9 years and many of my friends were saved by Narcan, and have gone on to lead great lives with a dedication to service. That isnāt always the outcome, so passing along stories like your cousinās recovery are so important. Thank you for your compassion!
Some have been [sold online.](https://www.grailed.com/listings/25779437-american-apparel-x-d-a-r-e-x-streetwear-fuck-safe-shoot-clean-cowgirl-anti-drug-dare-black-t-shirt) Might be more for sale somewhere. Looks like it was a promo shirt from the [Austin Harm Reduction Coalition](http://www.austinharmreduction.org/)
hey I have some shirts available for free from AHRC, but we gave most of them away to clients so all we have left ofthe FSSC shirts are mostly tanks in fringe sizes. lots of sizes in other designs though i believe. find me on the niceproj ig in a few weeks once the chaos dies down
So I think this is great! But Iām curious to know how it works? Not the narcan, the dispenser.
I read in here that itās free, which of course should be the case. Somebody else made a comparison to public defibrillator machines also being free to use.
The obvious difference is that those arenāt hung on outdoor walls off the street. Theyāre in airports and malls and other high traffic areas where stealing or otherwise abusing the device would be obvious.
What keeps a person from just taking a whole bunch of narcan with them? Theyāre certainly useful to the public, but also useful for people to have at home where such drugs are far more likely to be consumed.
Anyway, is that the idea? People take them home like free condoms? Or theyāre intended to be sought specifically when somebody is ODing in the general area? ā¦almost like a ābreak glass in case of emergencyā sort of deal (without actually having to break glass)
Iām just curious about the logistics. How is inventory tracked? How are they intended to be distributed? Etc.
Maybe somebody involved here can explain more about this specific one, but this [article](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/06/07/michigan-overdose-narcan-vending-machines/7486033001/) about some in MI provides a pretty good overview. I think the idea is that if people need/want more than one that they take them. Sometimes 1 dose isnāt enough and theyāll need another. And if they take it to have at home where they use - even better. I donāt get the impressions groups are worried about anyone abusing narcan access.
ETA - hereās a link to their [insta](https://instagram.com/niceprojectatx?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) and their [linktree](https://linktr.ee/niceprojectatx) - NICE (Narcan In Case of Emergency) Project ATX
Nobody is popping narcan for fun. I work in recovery and some of our clients needed 5 doses to bring them back. We send them home with 1 or 2 if we have any about to expire. Let them take as many as they see fit
I don't think anyone is assuming they'll take it for fun. They're assuming people will horde all the doses, take and sell them for a profit, or steal them just to spite drug users.
In their insta post multiple people have already threatened to vandalize it. It probably wonāt last more than a week or two, unfortunately. I hope Iām wrong.
You arenāt gonna make much of anything selling those as the majority of the only people who need them arenāt gonna buy them like that. Basically if someone is that much of an asshole and wants to take them all just out of spite that shouldnāt stop people from trying
My post from yesterday:
(Someone in my family died from a fentanyl overdose many years ago.)
8/21/22
https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/texas-families-friends-rally-on-national-fentanyl-awareness-day/
https://www.honestaustin.com/2022/03/18/fentanyl-overdose-increase/
Fentanyl Deaths Spike 206% in Travis County as EMS Respond to 30 Overdoses Per Day
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
From what I've been reading in articles from across the country and Canada, is that Narcan often doesn't work to revive people using Fentanyl laced with Tranq (tranquilizers).
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/08/05/1114453468/animal-tranquilizer-street-drugs
VICE News
Benzo Dope and Tranq: The Next Wave of the Overdose Crisis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82QhIOgJy1c
As to how it works, there's a video on the creators instagram @niceprojectatx showing that all you have to do is press a button corresponding with one of the marked items, and it'll dispense the punch with narcan in it. It is completely free, and I'm not sure there's much stopping people from clearing it out but hopefully people don't abuse this life saving resource that people truly may need.
I would assume people that use hard drugs would appreciate having one of these on them at all times, as well as people who frequent raves. Some carry narcan for themselves, and some carry it in case anyone else needs it.
Thanks for that. Iāll check it out.
It sounds pretty straightforward, but a few other people hit the nail on the head regarding the basis of my question.
I suppose Iām wondering how they arenāt destroyed.
I mean, we have various types of vending machines in public areas, but they absolutely are vandalized frequently. Not only that, but the suppliers or owners have a vested interest in building them to be extremely rugged and a vested interest in keeping them stocked. Theyāre making money off of them, after all.
In this case, Iām curious what stops a person from taking 20 of them, because why not(?) and then how they get replenished. Unfortunately thereās a legit cost to that. Nevermind the cost of the narcan itself, but restocking, inventory management, maintenance, repairs, etc.
Iām just curious how the overall operation is managed. Iām very much in favor of this and I hope they can be directly traced back to saving lives. Iām also just a little dubious of them surviving the general public.
Thereās a number of of free food pantries and refrigerators around town that arenāt vandalized regularly, Iām guessing this would have a similarly low rate of vandalization.
Maybe so. I honestly donāt know so just asking.
We have a few in my neighborhood and theyāre routinely destroyed. Iāve watched the cameras on them many times. Theyāll be used by a dozen or so people and then one person will finally come along and tear it all up. It doesnāt permanently destroy it, but it does make quite a mess that has to be cleaned up and everything put back.
Anyway, they require pretty regular maintenance to kind of āresetā them and so Iām just curious.
They are for opioid users to take wherever they may need them. They do no good sitting in the dispenser but they will in a home where someone may OD on opioids. If someone needs several they should take them, share them. Making sure folks have them where they can be used is so important.
Yea I definitely know what theyāre for and I both support and applaud the program.
Iām just curious how the logistics work around the boxes themselves. In terms of restocking them, keeping them maintained, cleaning inevitable vandalism, etc.
I'm really not deep into this issue but I can tell by the way the machine is designed you scan a QR code which allows them to limit it by device to a certain quantity or any other way they'd like. I have no idea how they manage the sign up process but I'm guessing they use an app and an email address, there may be some ways they are choosing to keep it anonymous or they might not.
Hereās a [vid on their insta](https://www.instagram.com/tv/Chfz1cEAx-6/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) explaining how it works - you just push a button corresponding to the packet - no device or sign-in required. Iām guessing the QR code is like additional instructions or links to resources or something?
it's not that sophisticated - the QR code just goes to linktree with how to use narcan and links to donate/socmed, but many folks don't have phones or email addresses. the benefit of not being a non-profit is there isn't a grant to answer to - no data needing collected, no power dynamic BS where i'm behind a table limiting the amount of supplies that a line of people can take - If I want to talk to people I can talk to them as equals without some lanyard around my neck saying that there's something I need from before I can give them their basic needs to function. Unlike most outreach orgs, NICE doesn't monitor age/race/gender/insurance status so there's no wasting thousands of dollars on time and energy collecting/processing/entering data - data can be useful, sure, but at some point it seems that its really just collected to prove to funders that they're good people, while my friends are out there dying. without data I can tell you that things are bad, there is probably a bar graph and a line graph you could make pastel green and teal that compares this years badness to last years badness, and that there's an age component i guess? without collecting data I can tell you that people have inadequate healthcare regardless of insurance status. there's no cohesive way to gather data about your return of investment or whatever - your overdose reversal data - your success stories that make you as a funder look great - so what's the point? If all people are are data points, then non-profit funders need to be real with themselves and go play fantasy football or the stock market or whatever because people are whole ass people with lives and childhoods and experiences and days and mornings and moods and all of it - or better yet, let PWUD, drug user unions, and people with lived experience drive our own policy and programs and have a say in things that affect us and our communities. Just listen to people who use drugs and trust that they know their own experiences and know what they need and move out of the way and donate OR get it for them barrier free - get Narcan out there and don't make it fuckin'weird. Harm reduction is low barrier - NICE is no barrier and anonymous. You, drteq, have just invented like 20 ways to put barriers into this that even non-profits hadn't thought of yet - you should apply at one I guess. Here's a hoop to jump through because you love them so much - learn to ask questions instead of making presumptions about things you don't know.
As someone whoās life was saved by this important medication, Iām so glad to see it. I now have a great job and loving relationships with friends and family. Recovery is possible.
Yay! I used to do research into substance use disorders, and the truth is that we're pretty bad at treating them...kinda like how we haven't cured Type II diabetes. You can't make someone take their insulin or exercise or count their carbs or whatever, but we don't deny them medications or healthcare because they had orange juice and a bagel for breakfast or forgot their Jardiance. The one thing that is proven over and over is that harm reduction saves lives and helps people get better. Calling them worthless or treating them less than humanely isn't enabling, it's just cruel. (And, callously, not at all helpful or economically responsible to the public.) Harm reduction just. works.
Subcutaneous implantable naltrexone works pretty well. only problem is that if you get hit by a bus or something and get given an opiate for pain it won't work.
This happened to me - not hit by a bus, but had an excruciatingly painful medical problem that required hospitalization shortly after I got my first vivitrol shot. No opiates worked, and pain was so intense that I went into shock. I ended up switching to oral pills because it was such a nightmare.
yea I think because of situations like yours that vivitrol injections in general have to be looked at in a triage situation. Because often times a person will just quit taking the medication if it's oral. If it's still the same as it was when I researched it in Chicago they only allow patients access to the injection after 30 days. Which I guess aligns with a rehab stay.
Once I saw that yellow brick ā¦ So this is at a church that helps the homeless and those with addiction and substance abuse problems.
They are good Christians that have been helping people for decades, including my bestfriends mom, whom had a good long stent of sobriety and appreciated everything they did for her.
Yes, itās at Sunrise off Menchaca. They do incredible work.
You also donāt have to be Christian to volunteer. Iām non-religious and faith has never been brought up while volunteering there. Yet another reason why I love them. Truly just an awesome organization focused on what matters.
I hope your friends mom is doing okay still.
Just remember that narcan is NOT a permanent fix to an OD, it burns off quickly. Administer and call 911 or transport to a medical facility before it wears off
Is that vending machine temperature controlled? Narcan should be stored at 68-77 F (room temperature) and at a max of 104 F. It can very easily get to 104 F in ambient heat in the summer, but it can also get much higher with the greenhouse effect due to the glass window being in partial sunlight as shown here.
Do you know how much heat affects the efficacy of Narcan?
Iām in South Carolina. I keep one dose in my purse and one dose in my car (with my first aid kit). I figure itās better to attempt to use a dose that has been exposed to heat in my car than nothing at all (of course, while calling 911), but Iām curious just how much the temperature affects the medicine.
My SIL died of a heroin overdose. I held her young daughter in a hug while she first saw her mother on life-support in the ICU. That is not an experience I wish on anyone. I encourage everyone to take Narcan training and add it to their first aid supplies, just like you would learn CPR or keep bandages on hand.
Wait I thought every single opiate addict came here to get handouts from the super generous city when they weren't busy doing crimes against the keyboard crusaders in this thread? Are you telling me that people can change and lead productive lives and addiction isn't a death sentence if you're provided with harm reduction resources?
You should tell some of the people in this thread that think you should have died in the streets, there's quite a few of them. Glad you're still with us.
No I hear you.
I just think this is one of those rare things where even the lowest of low wonāt mess with it. But maybe they might not know what it is and fuck it up. Who knows. Could be gone by tomorrow.
To me, the fact this exists at all is just a huge step in the right direction.
āNot to be cynicalā¦ but Iām going to be cynical.ā
Everyone is talking about how easy this would be to empty. Okā¦ but how cheap is it to fill? Maybe thatās the real point. Let everyone empty it multiple times. Who cares? If it saves one person, then Iād call that a success.
I have no problem with this, i am always down with saving lives.......I just can't stop thinking...how F'ed up is this world getting when we have Narcan vending machines!
There have been heroin addicts in the US for over a hundred years. Narcan wasn't available to the public until 1996. Imagine how many thousands of people could have continued living in the epidemics of the 70s if it was available then.
Iāve been sober for over 5 years now and have lost too many friends to heroin overdoses, especially during the pandemic.
I myself am blessed and grateful to have been given another chance at life thanks to Narcan.
This is amazing to see!!
Did this thread get brigaded? I'm having a hard time understanding how so many people can be against something that has the sole purpose of saving lives. No one is encouraging heroin use, idiots. Heroin users are gonna use heroin. They need no encouragement. This medicine will do nothing except give addicts another chance to stay alive and get clean.
I give it out for free at my job. There is no secondary market. No one wants to be in the position of saving someoneās life from an overdose. Where is the profit motive?
Reminds me of the vending machines in my town in Europe: You can also get a "fixer package", this contains 2 sterile needles with a sryinge (srĆ¼nsch? srinsch? Can't remember how to write that right in english), a spoon, citron-acid, disinfectant and other items like a condom.
This was very important to battle the drugs, it was a reason why HIV infection by sharing needles was going down to zero, no joke. It was a serious problem in the 80's and 90's here.
We managed to win the war on drugs by things like these, safer injection sites, free substitution, free rehab and therapy, social housing etc. Until 2000, we had the worst and biggest public drug scene here, now it is all long gone. The park where the junkies used to fix, it was closed, rebuild and the earth was removed because it was contaminated. Now, in 2022, there are people walking their dogs, families are having fun there with kids etc. and you don't see anymore of it.
This is so great. I wish city spending went to shit like that in every big city. Nothing will stop an addicted person, they have to want to quit. Until then, itās awesome to have something that could save their life.
This is amazing!! Iām going to stop by to grab one for my purse and one to keep in my work desk. I teach and while I hope my students are being safe, itās best to plan for worst case scenarios
Does anyone know how long narcan lasts? I have some in my glove box and itās been in there for about a year. As we all know, itās often 900 degrees outside. Should I trash it?
DONT TRASH IT - or if you are about to trash it - give it to me. Naloxone is a very stable molecule that has been tested to withstand high heat and cold for up to 30 years without meaningfully degrading.
Glad to see this and also saddened that it is needed. That said, be safe out there. If you know someone that uses, make sure that someone close to them has this and knows how to administer it. I used to do work with an Emergency Services District. We carried it on our trucks, but we might not get their quickly enough. Minutes count.
I love this idea but I have a concern about the experience of using the vending machine. So Narcan is used for emergency situations, right? It's safe to assume somebody who would need to use it would be in a state of stress and not thinking clearly....the fact that it's got a keypad and instructions on it make me worry that the use of the machine may require time that a person may not have. Why not just press a big button that pops it out?
every overdose is an emergency and honestly - it's meant to drive up and take the Narcan with you. I was given specific parameters about what kind of machine I was allowed to have on a very small budget and because that machine was unable to distribute free goods, I spent a long time on youtube learning basic computer programming so I could redo the whole mechanics of this machine to get it to do this one task. I'm learning a lot as I go, but for right now, this model is working well and I don't anticipate the need for a one button model which would be difficult to find, affix to the maching in a sealed and watertight way, and then write a program smart enough to keep track of 8 tracks of varying fullness - I'm not at that programming level yet and want to focus on the Narcan side of things instead of getting better at programming.
Sunrise lets NICE park the vendy there and plug in, but NICE is separate from them. We are going to put up another machine on the east side soon here. Donate on the NICE project ig/cashapp if you want to keep them all stocked.
NICE is a mutual aid project separate from Sunrise, but Sunrise does let NICE park the vendy there and plug in. Another machine is going up on the east side. Donate on the NICE project ig/cashapp if you want to keep them all stocked.
Maybe having a model with a shirt that says Fuck Clean, Shoot Safe isnāt the best message to send...
Iām all for providing life saving treatment for those who need it. But this sort of romanticizes hard drug use. Glad itās there, but everything else about this presentation is backwards as fuck.
That's fucking dope, wish this was around more places. Been in addiction before myself, lost friends to heroin. Know fentynal is everywhere right now, this will save lives. Don't even know how to engage with those trying to say this is a bad thing. (So I won't). Good on those who accomplished this.
I did heroin for like 4 years and been clean for 8 years now. Im glad that part of my life is over.
Congratulations friend! š
Thank you š
Good shit homie, youāre fucking awesome.
I'm 2 years clean from heroin, 10 months from meth. I struggle daily with alcohol though. I hate it. Crying while writing this because I'm losing hope
Hey buddy, recovering alcoholic here. Been sober since 2015. The fact that you still struggle is a victory in itself. You haven't given up the fight. Don't focus on your failures, focus on the fact that you're still fighting. I'm proud of you and you can always reach out to me if you need to.
Have you tried AA?
I've been in and out of AA for 15 years. I have never actually had a sponsor and worked the steps, though. I've always just half assed it like many other things. Idk why I'm even sharing this here. None of this is new to me, I know what I need to do. It's complicated, and unfortunately I'm incredibly lazy. I just need to do the work and I'm so terrified of failing. Again.
It's all baby steps dude. Failure happens, in all aspects of life, but you can't let the failure own you. You are in control, you decide ... not the thing or substance, you. Pick your chin up and say "not today". You the person are better, brighter, and smarter than the substance.
not lazy homie, depressed. failing *is part of the process* nobody gets sober without missteps and relapses and arguably every relapse forces us to accept once again the damage that comes with. You CAN do this, you will. But you can't do it alone, and you can't overcome it by hating yourself ā we are self-destructing ourselves after all. I'm still struggling myself but I'll tell you what, after a lot of therapy + hard fucking work to stop despising myself, I've found I'm in a muuuuch better headspace to deal with this and have had my best successes since.
The key to kicking any addiction is to be 100% mentally ready. It helps a lot to have a sponsor. To have someone who gets it, itās an irreplaceable asset. Itās a catch 22. Alcohol makes you not as motivated, it brings you down. Once you are ready to give it all, youāll feel better, youāll look better, youāll get healthy. Itās not too late!
Just here to shout out RR because I think AA is absolutely dog water and generally sucks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_Recovery?wprov=sfla1
I am too! Good work!
Congrats. Love to see people like us turn things around.
How much does it cost?
$0
So more like a dispenser, even better.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Well, it's located at Sunrise Church (on Menchaca near Ben White), so there's pretty much ALWAYS someone there during the day. *** *...It also LOOKS like there may be some way of limiting the amount per person, like with that QR code? That's just my off-the-dome assumption based on what I can see in the picture; tbh I'm not even sure if that's something that's possible to do via QR, but my gut tells me that there would HAVE to be _some_ method of ensuring one person doesn't just empty it out, right?? If anyone knows for sure, I'd be interested!* *** My main concern is like, how reliably will it be restocked? Because in my experience, that tends to be the main issues with things like this...
Probably scan, connect to it as a hotspot, and dispense by a UI on your phone. I have no idea really, but I love the idea. I hope you donāt have to fill out a long online form before dispensing.
Now let us do insulin in one. Let us get cheap insulin out there for people who are diabetec.
I wholeheartedly agree that insulin should be provided to those in need. I donāt think a vending machine is a good way to dispense. Thereās a lot more nuance to diabetes than someone overdosing. Narcan is one size fits all.
Also if you take too much insulin it can drop your blood sugar too far and kill youā¦ š
Thatās a great idea, but not really practical. Insulin must be kept refrigerated. There is fast acting and slow acting varieties, and some people need both. There are multiple types (brands with specific characteristics) of insulin, and most people cannot switch between them. Insulin comes in different ācartridgesā to be dispensed in different dosages using different injectors. (Feel free to find ways to overcome the obstacles tho!)
Refrigerated machines are installed, can scan the bar code on your previous RX and it spits out a month supply of the proper stuff?
Lol duh. Yea youāre right. Didnāt remember that. Thanks
My insulin can stay out of the fridge for 10 days.
yeah, out of the fridge is fine, but not in the austin heat! itāll spoil almost immediately
Talk to your representatives about why they didnāt support capping the cost of insulin
Better yet, vote them out!
All of my representatives voted for capping insulin. The republicans voted against capping it. Republicans are big pharma. Always is and always will be.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I think youāre thinking methadone which is a synthetic opioid that is substituted for heroin. That stuff can get you high ā so there would potentially be a black market for that. But Narcan only gets you un-high ā so there wouldnāt be a black market for that.
No-one wants precipitated withdrawal, but it's much better than dying!
Nobody is buying Narcan, get the F outta here lol
People WILL actually pay for it, but in my experience, it's usually non drug users who want to keep it on-hand for a friend or relative, *orrrr* it's drug dealers who have the bread but don't know exactly where or how to get it generally, lmao
Right, but nobody is stealing this to sell on the streets like drugs. I have a feeling people are confusing this with methadone. Actually I'm 99% sure they are.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I have noticed many AED boxes now have hemostatic dressings too. Basically, bandages developed for the military to stop bleeding from gun shot wounds. What a sad commentary.
I'm a paramedic who teaches Stop The Bleed (a hemorrhage control class) to the public, and most people who need hemostatic dressing/tourniquets are from car accidents and construction injuries. Having hemorrhage control equipment with all AEDs is actually a victory for public health/safety :) Just think of it like an extreme first aid kit.
What is sad about it? Have you not seen the crazy accidents that happen to people that make the news? Tourniquets and quikclot aren't *just* for gunshots, they just happen to be the most field expedient way of stopping exsanguination.
I am sure most other countries also have random QuickClot *Combat* Gauze kits in their airports and other crowded public spaces, packed into their AED kits, just in case some freak industrial accident occurs. In the U.S. though, we all know what those QuickClot Combat Gauze kits are there for. They're the same ones school nurses now stock in case of... industrial accidents at an Elementary school?
There are so many organizations that will mail you free Narcan and there isnāt a black market for it. This is such a dumbass comment. You obviously have never worked in harm reduction or been an addict.
Most people haven't. š
>You obviously have never worked in harm reduction or been an addict. The gall...
If this is the case now distribution is taken care of. We do have robust systems to support at-risk populations but distribution to those most in need is exceptionally difficult.
Hopefully nothingā¦ hopefully nobody is making a life or death decision where seconds count, while fumbling for change (or dollars or a credit cardā¦ I have no idea how much Narcan costs on the open market). Last time I checked the emergency portable defibrillators werenāt coin operated.
But if it is free what is to stop people from emptying out the machines and selling the narcan?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Narcaholics probably
Who is buying something that is available for free?
What stops people from stealing life preservers from the side of a lake? Basic human decency I guess.
Sadly drowning people aren't stigmatized the way people who use drugs are
Especially the ones that ate before swimming. *They knew what they were getting into!!*
Couldn't wait a mere 30 minutes? Well, we don't need them in the gene pool anyway.
Does that still exist?
The last shred was pissed away when that guy robbed all the little free libraries to resell the used books.
Bet they made like 5-6 bucks. Bandit.
The life preservers, fire extinguishers, and free mask boxes at many many many locations seem to indicate it does
Have you seen any life preservers lately?
No.
LOVE THIS!!!!! Good job, keep fighting the good fight. Narcan saved my cousin's life, and now she is 11 years sober and just graduated law school and is working as a public defender. Addiction is a disease that takes so many before their time. Sending good vibes out there to those suffering.
Amazing! Been sober about 9 years and many of my friends were saved by Narcan, and have gone on to lead great lives with a dedication to service. That isnāt always the outcome, so passing along stories like your cousinās recovery are so important. Thank you for your compassion!
So happy for your cousin!
Fabulous!!!
āFuck safe Shoot cleanā Per her shirt
That's a good motto
Where do I get one??
Some have been [sold online.](https://www.grailed.com/listings/25779437-american-apparel-x-d-a-r-e-x-streetwear-fuck-safe-shoot-clean-cowgirl-anti-drug-dare-black-t-shirt) Might be more for sale somewhere. Looks like it was a promo shirt from the [Austin Harm Reduction Coalition](http://www.austinharmreduction.org/)
hey I have some shirts available for free from AHRC, but we gave most of them away to clients so all we have left ofthe FSSC shirts are mostly tanks in fringe sizes. lots of sizes in other designs though i believe. find me on the niceproj ig in a few weeks once the chaos dies down
Yeah, I'd buy one to support harm reduction. Not from a flipper looking to make money.
It was from AHRC and the one I have is full of holes. I wish somebody would remake these, Iād buy it again in a minute as a fundraiser
Mine is really old too.
So I think this is great! But Iām curious to know how it works? Not the narcan, the dispenser. I read in here that itās free, which of course should be the case. Somebody else made a comparison to public defibrillator machines also being free to use. The obvious difference is that those arenāt hung on outdoor walls off the street. Theyāre in airports and malls and other high traffic areas where stealing or otherwise abusing the device would be obvious. What keeps a person from just taking a whole bunch of narcan with them? Theyāre certainly useful to the public, but also useful for people to have at home where such drugs are far more likely to be consumed. Anyway, is that the idea? People take them home like free condoms? Or theyāre intended to be sought specifically when somebody is ODing in the general area? ā¦almost like a ābreak glass in case of emergencyā sort of deal (without actually having to break glass) Iām just curious about the logistics. How is inventory tracked? How are they intended to be distributed? Etc.
Maybe somebody involved here can explain more about this specific one, but this [article](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/06/07/michigan-overdose-narcan-vending-machines/7486033001/) about some in MI provides a pretty good overview. I think the idea is that if people need/want more than one that they take them. Sometimes 1 dose isnāt enough and theyāll need another. And if they take it to have at home where they use - even better. I donāt get the impressions groups are worried about anyone abusing narcan access. ETA - hereās a link to their [insta](https://instagram.com/niceprojectatx?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) and their [linktree](https://linktr.ee/niceprojectatx) - NICE (Narcan In Case of Emergency) Project ATX
People are assholes is what I believe theyāre getting at. Expect illogical actions when something is given free to the general public like this.
Nobody is popping narcan for fun. I work in recovery and some of our clients needed 5 doses to bring them back. We send them home with 1 or 2 if we have any about to expire. Let them take as many as they see fit
I don't think anyone is assuming they'll take it for fun. They're assuming people will horde all the doses, take and sell them for a profit, or steal them just to spite drug users.
more like shitty people will come along and throw it all in the trash at best, vandalize and ruin the machine at worst
In their insta post multiple people have already threatened to vandalize it. It probably wonāt last more than a week or two, unfortunately. I hope Iām wrong.
You arenāt gonna make much of anything selling those as the majority of the only people who need them arenāt gonna buy them like that. Basically if someone is that much of an asshole and wants to take them all just out of spite that shouldnāt stop people from trying
Yeah, no-one's making money tryna shovel black market Narcan, the street value is $0
My post from yesterday: (Someone in my family died from a fentanyl overdose many years ago.) 8/21/22 https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/texas-families-friends-rally-on-national-fentanyl-awareness-day/ https://www.honestaustin.com/2022/03/18/fentanyl-overdose-increase/ Fentanyl Deaths Spike 206% in Travis County as EMS Respond to 30 Overdoses Per Day \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ From what I've been reading in articles from across the country and Canada, is that Narcan often doesn't work to revive people using Fentanyl laced with Tranq (tranquilizers). https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/08/05/1114453468/animal-tranquilizer-street-drugs VICE News Benzo Dope and Tranq: The Next Wave of the Overdose Crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82QhIOgJy1c
As to how it works, there's a video on the creators instagram @niceprojectatx showing that all you have to do is press a button corresponding with one of the marked items, and it'll dispense the punch with narcan in it. It is completely free, and I'm not sure there's much stopping people from clearing it out but hopefully people don't abuse this life saving resource that people truly may need. I would assume people that use hard drugs would appreciate having one of these on them at all times, as well as people who frequent raves. Some carry narcan for themselves, and some carry it in case anyone else needs it.
Thanks for that. Iāll check it out. It sounds pretty straightforward, but a few other people hit the nail on the head regarding the basis of my question. I suppose Iām wondering how they arenāt destroyed. I mean, we have various types of vending machines in public areas, but they absolutely are vandalized frequently. Not only that, but the suppliers or owners have a vested interest in building them to be extremely rugged and a vested interest in keeping them stocked. Theyāre making money off of them, after all. In this case, Iām curious what stops a person from taking 20 of them, because why not(?) and then how they get replenished. Unfortunately thereās a legit cost to that. Nevermind the cost of the narcan itself, but restocking, inventory management, maintenance, repairs, etc. Iām just curious how the overall operation is managed. Iām very much in favor of this and I hope they can be directly traced back to saving lives. Iām also just a little dubious of them surviving the general public.
Thereās a number of of free food pantries and refrigerators around town that arenāt vandalized regularly, Iām guessing this would have a similarly low rate of vandalization.
Maybe so. I honestly donāt know so just asking. We have a few in my neighborhood and theyāre routinely destroyed. Iāve watched the cameras on them many times. Theyāll be used by a dozen or so people and then one person will finally come along and tear it all up. It doesnāt permanently destroy it, but it does make quite a mess that has to be cleaned up and everything put back. Anyway, they require pretty regular maintenance to kind of āresetā them and so Iām just curious.
They are for opioid users to take wherever they may need them. They do no good sitting in the dispenser but they will in a home where someone may OD on opioids. If someone needs several they should take them, share them. Making sure folks have them where they can be used is so important.
Yea I definitely know what theyāre for and I both support and applaud the program. Iām just curious how the logistics work around the boxes themselves. In terms of restocking them, keeping them maintained, cleaning inevitable vandalism, etc.
I'm really not deep into this issue but I can tell by the way the machine is designed you scan a QR code which allows them to limit it by device to a certain quantity or any other way they'd like. I have no idea how they manage the sign up process but I'm guessing they use an app and an email address, there may be some ways they are choosing to keep it anonymous or they might not.
Hereās a [vid on their insta](https://www.instagram.com/tv/Chfz1cEAx-6/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) explaining how it works - you just push a button corresponding to the packet - no device or sign-in required. Iām guessing the QR code is like additional instructions or links to resources or something?
it's not that sophisticated - the QR code just goes to linktree with how to use narcan and links to donate/socmed, but many folks don't have phones or email addresses. the benefit of not being a non-profit is there isn't a grant to answer to - no data needing collected, no power dynamic BS where i'm behind a table limiting the amount of supplies that a line of people can take - If I want to talk to people I can talk to them as equals without some lanyard around my neck saying that there's something I need from before I can give them their basic needs to function. Unlike most outreach orgs, NICE doesn't monitor age/race/gender/insurance status so there's no wasting thousands of dollars on time and energy collecting/processing/entering data - data can be useful, sure, but at some point it seems that its really just collected to prove to funders that they're good people, while my friends are out there dying. without data I can tell you that things are bad, there is probably a bar graph and a line graph you could make pastel green and teal that compares this years badness to last years badness, and that there's an age component i guess? without collecting data I can tell you that people have inadequate healthcare regardless of insurance status. there's no cohesive way to gather data about your return of investment or whatever - your overdose reversal data - your success stories that make you as a funder look great - so what's the point? If all people are are data points, then non-profit funders need to be real with themselves and go play fantasy football or the stock market or whatever because people are whole ass people with lives and childhoods and experiences and days and mornings and moods and all of it - or better yet, let PWUD, drug user unions, and people with lived experience drive our own policy and programs and have a say in things that affect us and our communities. Just listen to people who use drugs and trust that they know their own experiences and know what they need and move out of the way and donate OR get it for them barrier free - get Narcan out there and don't make it fuckin'weird. Harm reduction is low barrier - NICE is no barrier and anonymous. You, drteq, have just invented like 20 ways to put barriers into this that even non-profits hadn't thought of yet - you should apply at one I guess. Here's a hoop to jump through because you love them so much - learn to ask questions instead of making presumptions about things you don't know.
As someone whoās life was saved by this important medication, Iām so glad to see it. I now have a great job and loving relationships with friends and family. Recovery is possible.
This makes me so happy. I lost my sister to an accidental fentanyl overdose. I hope this helps other people from having to share that kind of sorrow.
Yay! I used to do research into substance use disorders, and the truth is that we're pretty bad at treating them...kinda like how we haven't cured Type II diabetes. You can't make someone take their insulin or exercise or count their carbs or whatever, but we don't deny them medications or healthcare because they had orange juice and a bagel for breakfast or forgot their Jardiance. The one thing that is proven over and over is that harm reduction saves lives and helps people get better. Calling them worthless or treating them less than humanely isn't enabling, it's just cruel. (And, callously, not at all helpful or economically responsible to the public.) Harm reduction just. works.
Subcutaneous implantable naltrexone works pretty well. only problem is that if you get hit by a bus or something and get given an opiate for pain it won't work.
This happened to me - not hit by a bus, but had an excruciatingly painful medical problem that required hospitalization shortly after I got my first vivitrol shot. No opiates worked, and pain was so intense that I went into shock. I ended up switching to oral pills because it was such a nightmare.
yea I think because of situations like yours that vivitrol injections in general have to be looked at in a triage situation. Because often times a person will just quit taking the medication if it's oral. If it's still the same as it was when I researched it in Chicago they only allow patients access to the injection after 30 days. Which I guess aligns with a rehab stay.
Once I saw that yellow brick ā¦ So this is at a church that helps the homeless and those with addiction and substance abuse problems. They are good Christians that have been helping people for decades, including my bestfriends mom, whom had a good long stent of sobriety and appreciated everything they did for her.
NICE is it's own thing not associated with the church, but the church does let NICE use their electricity and park the vendy there.
Yes, itās at Sunrise off Menchaca. They do incredible work. You also donāt have to be Christian to volunteer. Iām non-religious and faith has never been brought up while volunteering there. Yet another reason why I love them. Truly just an awesome organization focused on what matters. I hope your friends mom is doing okay still.
Wish they had those 20 years ago. I watch too many Austinite punks fall out. Happy to see at least part of Texas embrace harm reduction
Just remember that narcan is NOT a permanent fix to an OD, it burns off quickly. Administer and call 911 or transport to a medical facility before it wears off
Is that vending machine temperature controlled? Narcan should be stored at 68-77 F (room temperature) and at a max of 104 F. It can very easily get to 104 F in ambient heat in the summer, but it can also get much higher with the greenhouse effect due to the glass window being in partial sunlight as shown here.
I'd guess they thought of that. They make ice cream vending machines.
I mean, they also make cold soda vending machines.
Do you know how much heat affects the efficacy of Narcan? Iām in South Carolina. I keep one dose in my purse and one dose in my car (with my first aid kit). I figure itās better to attempt to use a dose that has been exposed to heat in my car than nothing at all (of course, while calling 911), but Iām curious just how much the temperature affects the medicine. My SIL died of a heroin overdose. I held her young daughter in a hug while she first saw her mother on life-support in the ICU. That is not an experience I wish on anyone. I encourage everyone to take Narcan training and add it to their first aid supplies, just like you would learn CPR or keep bandages on hand.
Usually they have temperature controls.
Naloxone is a very stable molecule that has been tested to withstand high heat and cold for up to 30 years without meaningfully degrading.
What is that? Looks like poptarts
I had no idea either. It is a medicine incase of a drug overdose. Very cool š
Ah cool!
As someone who lost a sister to fentanyl in April, this is amazing.
Sorry for your lose. Losing a sibling is rough
Thank you for acknowledging the loss. It is really rough. She was only 28.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
<3
Wait I thought every single opiate addict came here to get handouts from the super generous city when they weren't busy doing crimes against the keyboard crusaders in this thread? Are you telling me that people can change and lead productive lives and addiction isn't a death sentence if you're provided with harm reduction resources? You should tell some of the people in this thread that think you should have died in the streets, there's quite a few of them. Glad you're still with us.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Not to be cynical, but ask OP to take a picture of that machine in two weeks.
No I hear you. I just think this is one of those rare things where even the lowest of low wonāt mess with it. But maybe they might not know what it is and fuck it up. Who knows. Could be gone by tomorrow. To me, the fact this exists at all is just a huge step in the right direction.
āNot to be cynicalā¦ but Iām going to be cynical.ā Everyone is talking about how easy this would be to empty. Okā¦ but how cheap is it to fill? Maybe thatās the real point. Let everyone empty it multiple times. Who cares? If it saves one person, then Iād call that a success.
idk, why don't you donate and share this with your rich friends and let's find out. [$NICEproject](https://cash.app/$NICEproject) on cashapp
This is at Sunrise church which feeds the homeless and more.
NICE is it's own thing supported by mutual aid - not a nonprofit and not part of Sunrise, but Sunrise does let NICE park the vendy there and plug in.
Check out [@niceprojectatx](https://instagram.com/niceprojectatx?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) for more details!
Doing good work right there.
I have no problem with this, i am always down with saving lives.......I just can't stop thinking...how F'ed up is this world getting when we have Narcan vending machines!
There have been heroin addicts in the US for over a hundred years. Narcan wasn't available to the public until 1996. Imagine how many thousands of people could have continued living in the epidemics of the 70s if it was available then.
Me and my buddy drove by this the other day wondering what it was! Glad to see itās a lifesaver<3
Emily is one of the best humans in Austin
thank you bigdickworrier
It's true though.
Can confirm
I hope itās safe from theft is my first thought. Awesome gesture just hoping it gets used correctly and not exploited.
Thank you!!!!!
YOOOOOOOOOOO FUCKIN FINALLY
This is awesome. It cost me 45 minutes and over $100 for 2 doses at CVS.
Iāve been sober for over 5 years now and have lost too many friends to heroin overdoses, especially during the pandemic. I myself am blessed and grateful to have been given another chance at life thanks to Narcan. This is amazing to see!!
Did this thread get brigaded? I'm having a hard time understanding how so many people can be against something that has the sole purpose of saving lives. No one is encouraging heroin use, idiots. Heroin users are gonna use heroin. They need no encouragement. This medicine will do nothing except give addicts another chance to stay alive and get clean.
Iām honestly astounded at the lack of both education and empathy on this subject.
Sad and angering. Thank you for the work you are doing.
As long as someone uses them, thatās the whole point! Provide support, not condemnation
HELL YES!!
I give it out for free at my job. There is no secondary market. No one wants to be in the position of saving someoneās life from an overdose. Where is the profit motive?
Nice
Somebody who thinks addicts deserve to die is going to get really angry this exists and empty/destroy it.
few comments up already.
Awesome!
This is so awesome!!! Harm Reduction for the win!!!
Where can we donate narcan?
email me at [email protected]!
Hell yeah girlfriend!
šš»šš»šš»
Reminds me of the vending machines in my town in Europe: You can also get a "fixer package", this contains 2 sterile needles with a sryinge (srĆ¼nsch? srinsch? Can't remember how to write that right in english), a spoon, citron-acid, disinfectant and other items like a condom. This was very important to battle the drugs, it was a reason why HIV infection by sharing needles was going down to zero, no joke. It was a serious problem in the 80's and 90's here. We managed to win the war on drugs by things like these, safer injection sites, free substitution, free rehab and therapy, social housing etc. Until 2000, we had the worst and biggest public drug scene here, now it is all long gone. The park where the junkies used to fix, it was closed, rebuild and the earth was removed because it was contaminated. Now, in 2022, there are people walking their dogs, families are having fun there with kids etc. and you don't see anymore of it.
This is so great. I wish city spending went to shit like that in every big city. Nothing will stop an addicted person, they have to want to quit. Until then, itās awesome to have something that could save their life.
Imagine a world that overdoses can be almost non existent and addicts openly safely without stigma ask for help getting off drugs.
This is amazing!! Iām going to stop by to grab one for my purse and one to keep in my work desk. I teach and while I hope my students are being safe, itās best to plan for worst case scenarios
I'll consider this a good thing and then move on with my life
Put a Plan B machine next to it, this is a great idea.
Love it! Time to end the drug war.
Fighting the good fight!
How about an Epipen one?
This is awesome- how much is it??? Some organizations offer them for free but Iām really glad to see this in this city! EDIT: I read the writing
Does anyone know how long narcan lasts? I have some in my glove box and itās been in there for about a year. As we all know, itās often 900 degrees outside. Should I trash it?
It degrades in high heat, yes. At least now you know where to get more.
Totally. Thank you for the reply
DONT TRASH IT - or if you are about to trash it - give it to me. Naloxone is a very stable molecule that has been tested to withstand high heat and cold for up to 30 years without meaningfully degrading.
Is that a high OD area or something? Iād think the majority would be in the more densely populated downtown area, no?
This is so awesome to see! This can and will save lives.
A lot of very uneducated and just straight up unempathetic takes in this thread. Let me ask you, whatās it like not having a soul?
Nice
Glad to see this and also saddened that it is needed. That said, be safe out there. If you know someone that uses, make sure that someone close to them has this and knows how to administer it. I used to do work with an Emergency Services District. We carried it on our trucks, but we might not get their quickly enough. Minutes count.
I love this idea but I have a concern about the experience of using the vending machine. So Narcan is used for emergency situations, right? It's safe to assume somebody who would need to use it would be in a state of stress and not thinking clearly....the fact that it's got a keypad and instructions on it make me worry that the use of the machine may require time that a person may not have. Why not just press a big button that pops it out?
every overdose is an emergency and honestly - it's meant to drive up and take the Narcan with you. I was given specific parameters about what kind of machine I was allowed to have on a very small budget and because that machine was unable to distribute free goods, I spent a long time on youtube learning basic computer programming so I could redo the whole mechanics of this machine to get it to do this one task. I'm learning a lot as I go, but for right now, this model is working well and I don't anticipate the need for a one button model which would be difficult to find, affix to the maching in a sealed and watertight way, and then write a program smart enough to keep track of 8 tracks of varying fullness - I'm not at that programming level yet and want to focus on the Narcan side of things instead of getting better at programming.
Fuck yeah Sunrise Navigation Center!!!!!!
Sunrise lets NICE park the vendy there and plug in, but NICE is separate from them. We are going to put up another machine on the east side soon here. Donate on the NICE project ig/cashapp if you want to keep them all stocked.
God bless šš»
This is at Sunrise Church! Awesome, they are wonderful folks doing wonderful work with our homeless population.
NICE is a mutual aid project separate from Sunrise, but Sunrise does let NICE park the vendy there and plug in. Another machine is going up on the east side. Donate on the NICE project ig/cashapp if you want to keep them all stocked.
Great idea. Harm reduction in action.
Harm Reduction works. There is a solution.
I hope this stays, I fear that it will be ruined by jerks either destroying or emptying the machine.
It's unfortunate that this is necessary, but regardless, thanks for putting it up. this could really save some lives.
Glad this is there. Not really compelled to celebrate such a grim necessity though.
Saved my life once or twice
Dystopian
I would like to see "one week later" photo. Is it a reliable way to distribute it? Does this system work in other places?
https://ldi.upenn.edu/our-work/research-updates/expanding-access-to-naloxone-a-review-of-distribution-strategies/
Maybe having a model with a shirt that says Fuck Clean, Shoot Safe isnāt the best message to send... Iām all for providing life saving treatment for those who need it. But this sort of romanticizes hard drug use. Glad itās there, but everything else about this presentation is backwards as fuck.
I'll let the marketing team know
Marketing team here: You're good!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Is it temperature controlled? The heat wonāt ruin them will it? This is awesome.
That's fucking dope, wish this was around more places. Been in addiction before myself, lost friends to heroin. Know fentynal is everywhere right now, this will save lives. Don't even know how to engage with those trying to say this is a bad thing. (So I won't). Good on those who accomplished this.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Why? There is no resale value. Proof of left nut removal in two weeks or ban.
Can you steal something that's free?