The Friends and Family Guide to the Opioid Overdose Epidemic: Including How to Recognize and Treat an Overdose

A practical and compassionate guide to understanding and addressing the opioid crisis.

The opioid crisis in the United States continues to kill Americans at an alarming rate. Over the past two decades, annual overdose deaths have skyrocketed, growing from roughly 20,000 per year to over 100,000 per year. In this deeply informed and compassionate guide, Peter Canning shares the devastating realities of the opioid crisis from the perspective of a seasoned paramedic and advocate. This essential resource provides practical tools to recognize and respond to overdoses, access life-saving treatments like naloxone, and navigate the complex landscape of addiction and recovery.

Canning humanizes the crisis through poignant stories of individuals and families grappling with the ripple effects of substance use. The book offers a broader understanding of the epidemic's roots, including the rise of fentanyl, the science of addiction, and the transformative potential of harm reduction strategies. Canning explains how to recognize the signs of overdose, the risk factors that increase the likelihood of overdose, and the precautions that both people who use opioids and those who care about them can take. With extensive experience as a paramedic who responded to countless opioid overdoses, Canning explains what to do in case you discover someone who has overdosed on opioids.

For anyone trying to help a loved one manage opioid use disorder, the process can be overwhelming, and the stigma that accompanies substance use disorder makes it even harder. Whether you're a concerned citizen, a family member, or someone directly impacted by the crisis, The Friend and Family Guide to the Opioid Overdose Epidemic equips you with the knowledge and empathy to take meaningful steps toward saving lives and fostering understanding in your community.

Peter Canning, the EMS coordinator at UConn John Dempsey Hospital, has worked for more than thirty years as a 911 paramedic. He is the author of Killing Season: A Paramedic's Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Opioid Epidemic and Paramedic: On the Front Lines of Medicine.