Missed a PHW event? Find our past PHW event recordings here!
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Partners in Health & Wholeness

An initiative of the NC Council of Churches

  • Voices
  • About
    • Staff
    • Values Statement
    • PHW Sustainability Pledge
    • PHW Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Programs
    • Collaborative
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • Clergy Commitment
      • Mini-Grants
      • 2021 PHW Collaborative Faith Communities
      • PHW Collaborative Awards
    • Citizen Science
    • Healthy Aging
    • Growing Communities of Inclusion: A Faithful Response to HIV
    • Mental Health Advocacy
      • Sacred Series Toolkit: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Faith Community
    • BIPOC Mental Health Grant
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • Resources for the Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds Adult Sunday School Guide
      • Frequently Asked Questions About the Opioid Crisis the Faith Community Responds
    • Faith and Health Summit 2022 Mindful Together
  • Resources
    • Newsletter Archive
    • PHW-Created Resources
      • PHW Videos
      • Sacred Series Toolkit: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Faith Community
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds Adult Sunday School Guide
      • PRACTICAL PEACE: TRANSFORMING HEALTH FROM THE ROOTS UP RESOURCE GUIDE
      • Past PHW Event Recordings
    • Resources from Our Partners
      • Interactive Map
      • PHW Resources
  • FAQs
  • Events
    • Upcoming PHW Events
    • Past PHW Event Recordings
    • Submit Community Event
  • nccc-logo-favicon
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Frequently Asked Questions About the Opioid Crisis the Faith Community Responds

A biohazard container altar at the Wild Goose Festival in 2019

This page will cover some basics terms and definitions as related to Opioids and the Overdose Crisis.

What is an opioid?

Opioids are a class of drugs used to reduce pain. Opioids include some prescription pain medications, synthetic(made in a lab) fentanyl and heroin. All opioids have a similar effect on the brain, they reduce the intensity of pain signals reaching the brain and affect the brain areas controlling emotion and breathing. Depending on how much you take and how you take them, if your body has more opioids than it can handle, there can be serious risks and side effects. Examples of Opioids: Morphine (MS Contin®)Oxycodone (Percocet®, OxyContin® Fentanyl (Duragesic®)Heroin

What is Narcan? What is Naloxone? Are they different?

Naloxone (also known as Narcan®) is a prescription medicine that reverses an opioid overdose, which can be caused by prescription analgesics (e.g., Percocet, OxyContin), and heroin. Naloxone will only reverse an opioid overdose, it does not prevent deaths caused by other drugs. However, naloxone may also be effective for polysubstance overdoses such as a combined opioid and alcohol overdose. It cannot be used to get high and is not addictive. Naloxone is safe and effective; emergency medical professionals have used it for decades.

Narcan is the name brand (like Kleenex and Tissues) but they are the same medication. There are 3 main ways the medication can be given out: an intermuscular vial and syringe, nasal spray, and auto-injector.

What is an overdose?

Opioid overdoses happen when there are so many opioids or a combination of opioids and other drugs in the body that the victim is not responsive to stimulation and/or breathing is inadequate. This happens because opioids fit into specific receptors that also affect the drive to breathe. If someone can not breathe or is not breathing enough, the oxygen levels in the blood decrease and the lips and fingers turn blue- this is called cyanosis. This oxygen starvation eventually stops other vital organs like the heart, then the brain. This leads to unconsciousness, coma, and then death. Within 3-5 minutes without oxygen, brain damage starts to occur, soon followed by death. With opioid overdoses, surviving or dying wholly depends on breathing and oxygen. Fortunately, this process is rarely instantaneous; people slowly stop breathing which usually happens minutes to hours after the drug was used. While people have been “found dead with a needle in their arm,” more often there is time to intervene between when an overdose starts and before a victim dies.

What is harm reduction?

Harm reduction incorporates a spectrum of strategies from safer use, to managed use to abstinence to meet drug users “where they’re at,” addressing conditions of use along with the use itself. Because harm reduction demands that interventions and policies designed to serve drug users reflect specific individual and community needs, there is no universal definition of or formula for implementing harm reduction.

What is a Good Samaritan law( Good Sam Law)?

A law in North Carolina that gives immunity to someone who has drug paraphernalia and a small amount of drugs from prosecution if they call 911 while someone is overdosing. It also applies to underage drinking

What is the Death by Distribution Law?

A law just passed by the NC General Assembly that would create a new charge equal to homicide for someone who delivers drugs to someone who overdoses and dies. The intent of the law is to be able to prosecute drug dealers, however( in other states where this law has passed) friends, and family members have been the ones who have been charged under this new law.

What is a Syringe Exchange Program(SEP)?

Syringe exchange programs distribute unused sterile syringes and provide safe disposal methods for used syringes. All syringe exchanges in North Carolina also provide connections to treatment programs, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and other medical and social services; opioid overdose prevention resources, including naloxone and educational materials, including HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) prevention and treatment, hepatitis prevention and treatment and mental health care. These services are provided free of charge.

What is Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)?

A way to treat a substance use disorder(SUD) and curve cravings associated with an SUD with a non-addictive opioid. Examples are Methadone, Buprenorphine, Naltrexone

Footer

Contact

Partners in Health and Wholeness
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
PHWinfo@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Latest Tweets

Using our voices to fulfill our civic duty and vote in every election makes a difference in our communities. This reflection guide with suggested questions to guide your conversations and spark ideas for questions to ask political candidates. ncchurches.org/2022/…

Yesterday

Join us for our @healthandfaith Faith and Health Summit! Our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together. We want to acknowledge the need for mindful moments that hold our minds, bodies, & spirits. Join us and a well-rounded list of expert speakers: ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/WSnA…

About 2 days ago

RT @NCCADP We have so much planned to mark the anniversary of NC's last execution. Read all about it on our blog and make a plan to join us as we say: Never again! #deathpenalty bit.ly/3C0lZkf

About 5 days ago

With the growing threat of the climate crisis, NC is looking toward new ways to get to zero carbon emissions. Last week, @NCIPL staff members Susannah Tuttle & Ren Martin attended a public hearing in Charlotte. wfae.org/energy-envi…

About 6 days ago

RT @MomsRising Moms of color don't have adequate break time or private space to pump. Urge lawmakers to support breastfeeding & working mothers! moms.ly/3Qi3gnN _ Las mamás de color no tienen un tiempo de descanso adecuado o un espacio privado para bombear. #NBM22 #IPumpedHere #PUMPAct pic.twitter.com/V3Yw…

Last week

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

RT @ncchurches Join us for our @healthandfaith Faith and Health Summit! Our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together. We want to acknowledge the need for mindful moments that hold our minds, bodies, & spirits. Join us and a well-rounded list of expert speakers: ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/WSnA…

About 2 days ago

Do you know what grant is right for your faith community? Check out the graphic below to learn about the differences between grants. Click here to learn more informationhttps://www.ncchurches.org/programs/phw/phw-mini-grants/ pic.twitter.com/umXb…

Last week

RT @FaithCompassWFU If we look at the HIV epidemic as an opportunity to bring healing, justice, and equity to those who have been marginalized and impacted by the health industry and society at large, we can generate more good in our communities. #breakthestigma #faithcompassWFU pic.twitter.com/FPIB…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @ncchurches This month we are excited to announce our @healthandfaith Interim Co-Directors: Jessica Stokes & Nicole Johnson. Jessica & Nicole have dedicated their hard work to supporting faith communities across NC. They will continue to do this work while overseeing the PHW program. pic.twitter.com/SU8Q…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @ncchurches This July, during BIPOC Mental Health Month, we invite faith communities of color to think about programs, initiatives, and ideas that will lift up BIPOC Mental Health and use the grant money @healthandfaith will offer to make that idea come to light! ncchurches.org/bipoc… pic.twitter.com/DMwT…

About 2 weeks ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @interfaithpower 🧵1/The Senate voted to pass the single biggest climate & clean energy investment in our nation’s history! Read statements on the passage from the IPL network: interfaithpowerandli… #Faiths4Climate #GetClimateDone

About 2 days ago

RT @interfaithpower Join us tomorrow for a discussion about encouraging our #faith communities to #vote by offering sermons, divrei Torah, and khutbahs on the importance of #voting. Register at ow.ly/W6so50K5kqI #FaithClimateJusticeVoter #Vote2022 #VoteReady #Faiths4Climate #interfaith pic.twitter.com/6Ecw…

About 2 days ago

Press Conference happening now #CLT #NCCarbonPlan #FossilFreeNC pic.twitter.com/Rizq…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @ClimateNexus Faith-based organizations, including @CreationJustice and @NCIPL, are hosting an evening of discussions and workshops on building climate resilience on August 18 from 5 pm to 8 pm ET. Register here: bit.ly/resiliencesum… pic.twitter.com/fuz8…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @averydavislamb Preachers and pastors! This weekend when you pray for and preach on the heat waves, wildfires, and other disasters, try mentioning that these are intensified by climate change. Here's what I've been praying...

About 3 weeks ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2022 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine