How to Teach Family Members to Recognize Overdose Symptoms

When someone you love is using drugs, you don’t wait for an emergency to learn what to do. You learn how to recognize overdose symptoms before it’s too late. It’s not about fear. It’s about being ready. In Australia, and across the world, most overdoses happen at home - not in hospitals or on the street. That means the first person to notice something’s wrong is often a parent, sibling, partner, or child. And if they know what to look for, they can save a life.

What Overdose Actually Looks Like

People often think an overdose means someone is passed out, drooling, or shaking. But it’s quieter than that. It’s stillness. It’s silence. It’s the absence of movement you expect.

For opioids - like heroin, fentanyl, or prescription painkillers - there are three clear signs, called the opioid triad:

• Unresponsive: Shout their name. Shake their shoulder. Rub your knuckles hard on their sternum (center of the chest). If they don’t move, react, or open their eyes, that’s a red flag.
• Slow or stopped breathing: Watch their chest. Count breaths. If they take fewer than one breath every five seconds - or stop breathing entirely - it’s an overdose.
• Blue or gray lips and fingernails: This is cyanosis. On lighter skin, it looks blue or purple. On darker skin, it looks gray, ashen, or dull. Don’t wait for blue to appear. Gray is just as dangerous.

You might also notice:

• Skin that’s cold and clammy to the touch
• A limp body, like a ragdoll
• Gurgling or snoring sounds - sometimes called the ‘death rattle’

These aren’t signs of being ‘high.’ Someone who’s just high will respond to you. Someone overdosing won’t. That’s the difference.

Stimulant Overdose Is Different - And Just as Deadly

Not all overdoses are from opioids. Methamphetamine, cocaine, and even some prescription ADHD meds can cause overdose too. Their signs are the opposite: too much, not too little.

Look for:

• Body temperature over 40°C (104°F) - skin feels hot, dry, flushed
• Seizures or convulsions
• Chest pain or racing, irregular heartbeat
• Extreme confusion, panic, or hallucinations
• High blood pressure - they might complain of a pounding head or blurred vision

Stimulant overdoses can kill fast. The heart can fail. The brain can swell. There’s no time to wait.

Teaching Family Members: It’s Not About Lectures

You can’t just hand someone a pamphlet and expect them to remember. Studies show that people retain less than half the information from a talk. But when they practice - they remember.

Use the Recognize-Respond-Revive method:

1. Recognize: Go through the signs together. Use photos or videos showing real people (with different skin tones). Point out how cyanosis looks on brown, Black, or Indigenous skin - it’s not always blue.
2. Respond: Practice calling emergency services. Role-play: ‘I’m calling 000. My brother isn’t breathing. I think he’s overdosed.’
3. Revive: Use a training naloxone kit. These are cheap, safe, and come with a dummy nose and fake spray. Practice on a pillow or a mannequin. Do it three times. Make it normal.

Families who practice with training kits are 89% more likely to act correctly in a real emergency. That’s not a guess. That’s data from the CDC.

Naloxone Is Not Magic - But It’s Close

Naloxone (brand name Narcan) reverses opioid overdoses. It doesn’t work on cocaine or meth. But if you’re dealing with opioids - which make up most overdoses - it’s your best tool.

It’s safe. It’s easy. You spray it in the nose. No needles. No training needed beyond what you’ll learn in 15 minutes.

Get a kit. Keep it in the same place as your keys or wallet. Don’t hide it. Don’t wait until someone’s in crisis to find it. If you have a loved one using opioids, you need this.

In Australia, naloxone is available over the counter at pharmacies without a prescription. You don’t need to be a doctor. You don’t need to be a nurse. You just need to be willing to act.

Emotional Barriers Are Real - And They Can Be Overcome

Many families avoid this training because they’re scared. They think: ‘If I talk about this, I’m inviting disaster.’

That’s a myth.

People who’ve done the training say the opposite: ‘It gave me power.’ One father in Sydney told me, ‘I used to panic every time he went out. After practicing with the kit, I felt like I could handle it. And when I did - I saved his life.’

It’s okay to feel uncomfortable. That’s normal. But discomfort now beats grief later.

What to Do When You Suspect an Overdose

If you see the signs - act immediately.

1. Call 000. Say: ‘I think someone is overdosing. They’re not breathing.’ Don’t wait for an ambulance to arrive before doing anything else.
2. Give naloxone. Spray one dose into one nostril. If they don’t respond in 2-3 minutes, give a second dose.
3. Start rescue breathing. Tilt their head back, pinch their nose, and give one breath every five seconds. Keep going until they breathe on their own - or help arrives.
4. Stay with them. Even if they wake up, they can crash again. Don’t leave them alone.

Don’t wait for ‘proof.’ Don’t wait for ‘confirmation.’ If you’re unsure - act. You won’t hurt them. You might save them.

Where to Get Training and Kits

In Australia, you can get free naloxone kits and training from:

• Local needle and syringe programs (NSPs)
• Community health centers
• Pharmacies (ask for the ‘Naloxone Take-Home Program’)
• Online through the NSW Government Overdose Prevention site (and similar state sites)

Many programs offer 30-minute sessions with hands-on practice. Some even come with a laminated card listing the signs and steps - keep it on your fridge.

It’s Not Just About Opioids Anymore

Fentanyl is now in nearly every illicit drug - even pills that look like prescription oxycodone. It’s 50-100 times stronger than morphine. A tiny amount can kill.

Fentanyl test strips cost less than $1 each. You can buy them at NSPs or online. Rub a tiny bit of the drug on the strip. If it turns positive - don’t use it. Or use with someone else present, and have naloxone ready.

Teach your family how to use these strips too. It’s not about judging. It’s about safety.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Overdose deaths are rising. In 2022, over 107,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. alone. In Australia, the numbers are climbing too. Most of these deaths are preventable.

And the people who save lives? They’re not paramedics. They’re moms. Dads. Siblings. Partners. People who learned the signs before it was too late.

You don’t need to be an expert. You just need to know what to look for - and what to do.

This isn’t about policing someone’s choices. It’s about giving them a chance to live.