SAUGUS — The Saugus-Everett Elks Drug Awareness Committee had a presentation on Narcan and its importance during the opioid crisis Monday morning at the senior center.
Chair of the Committee Ron Visconti greeted everyone and started the morning off by briefly introducing the topic.
“We’ve been doing this for three years, and it’s the first time I can honestly say that some of the fentanyl deaths are actually going down, and that’s a good thing. One of the reasons is the reverse effects on opioids,” Visconti said.
He then introduced the speakers for the event: Everett Fire Department Addiction Recovery Resource Specialist Paul Guarino, Everett’s Assistant Director of Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Eric Mazzeo, and member of the Revere Lodge of Elks Kimberly Fall.
Guarino spoke on his job and his journey to recovery. He explained that he isn’t a firefighter, but he goes on calls with the department when an overdose is involved. He reaches out to them and provides the resources they may need to help steer them toward recovery.
“I’ve been doing this job for the fire department for the last four years, and previously I’d been working with the city (Everett) for eight years, but I got into this profession from my own addiction,” Guarino said. He continued that he was in long-term recovery and called himself a “kid in the candy shop” when talking about his job as a pharmacist.
He shared a story about how, in 2009, he was experiencing foot pain and believed he could manage it as a pharmacist. This led to him using painkillers, specifically Percocet.
“My thinking was, ‘I’ll take a few pills and no one’s going to know,'” he said. “The pain went away, but my brain was telling me I needed more and more of something.” In 2012, with a new manager coming to the pharmacy, Guarino was caught taking pills. He said getting caught saved him and “started me on the road to recovery.” He also said his new high is helping people.
Guarino then spoke about how drugs today are no longer what they were then, with fentanyl being cut into anything. He said there is no cocaine or heroin anymore — it’s all laced with fentanyl, which is why there was a rise in deaths. However, he said overdose deaths in Massachusetts are now down thanks to prevention and less stigma.
“It’s all about more awareness. … Ten (or) 12 years ago, when I was going through my stuff, we weren’t talking about these things. It was that stigma — we always stuffed it under the rug. We’re not telling people about what’s going on out there. It wasn’t talked about. Nowadays, there are more programs and awareness. Another thing is prevention. … Getting the kids at a younger age is huge… talking about the use of drugs and alcohol to prevent that first use of something in the youth,” he said.
Guarino touched on why people take opioids and discussed Narcan, saying it is a life-saving drug that he believes should be carried and kept in every house. He mentioned that many young kids get their first pill from a cabinet at home.
“Most of the time, people take them to treat pain. … People take them for euphoria. To feel better. After my pain went away and I had the intake of the opioids, I liked the feeling it gave me. Even when my pain went away, I still took the narcotics because it made me feel at ease,” he said.
Guarino then went through the three P’s for Narcan use, which stands for Peel (opening the package), Place (putting the tip of the nozzle into the nose), and Press (pressing the plunger so the dose is released). He continued that with how drugs are today, some people end up needing two to three doses of Narcan.
Fall then spoke about harm reduction, saying she believes it is something that has helped bring down the number of overdoses. It focuses on understanding that some people might not want to quit drugs or will struggle to quit. It helps reduce the harm that the drugs cause, like ensuring that clean needles are being used or providing outreach services and education programs.
Fall explained that it’s essential to meet a person where they are and understand that they aren’t ready until they are ready. While they prepare to be ready, harm reduction can keep them safer during the process.
Mazzeo then spoke, explaining that he has been in long-term recovery, and it took a long time for him to get where he is.
“Back even six and a half years ago, there wasn’t as much information as there is now. … Especially with the kids, it’s horrible. I go to the schools and principals will show me bags of vapes and nips that they’ve confiscated, and I’m talking even in the elementary schools,” Mazzeo said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
He said when he meets with kids, he always asks if they know why they do it. “I have kids tell me, ‘Yeah, all my friends are doing it and peer pressure,’ and that’s obviously a concern, but it’s a little bit more of a concern when I’m sitting with a kid and they’re crying and telling me they don’t like their home life or they’re depressed. And I’m talking about 12-year-olds. Sometimes they’re a little younger or older,” he said.
All three speakers pressed the importance of outreach, removing stigma, and Narcan.
