Drug Overdose Prevention
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How to Talk about Drug Use
The way we talk about substance use matters because stigma kills. Stigma is shame directed at people who use drugs and people who support them. It stems from harmful misconceptions about addiction and causes people to hide their struggles from their loved ones. When people think they will be judged and shamed for seeking support for a substance use disorder, they often don’t get the help they need.
Understanding the key terms below will help you talk about drugs in a productive way. Your words matter, and they could save lives. Please visit Changing the Narrative to learn how to spot myths about drug use and address them with accurate, effective, and compassionate language. If you have any questions or suggestions about the tips and resources on this page, please email us at: health.drugodprev@state.mn.us.
- Overdose: An overdose is a dangerous medical condition that happens when too much of a drug is ingested at once. Overdoses caused by different substances will have very different effects, and they can be fatal or nonfatal. It’s important to recognize the signs of an overdose so that medical help can be called in time.
- Substance Use Disorder (SUD): When a person’s use of drugs negatively impacts their life, they could be diagnosed by a medical professional with a substance use disorder (SUD). Having this diagnosis can make a patient eligible to receive the medication and treatment they may need. For more information, see Identification of Substance Use Disorder.
- Addiction: If someone repeatedly engages in compulsive drug seeking despite negative consequences to their life, they could be said to be suffering from an addiction. To lessen the traumatic impact of stigma, which shames people who use drugs, the word “addict” should usually not be used to describe a person with a substance use disorder – they are a person with an addiction.
- Tolerance: Tolerance forms when a person uses a substance frequently and their body becomes used to it. As their tolerance increases, they may need to use higher amounts to achieve the same experience. It also means that, when someone stops using drugs for a prolonged period, then starts using again, their tolerance will be lower than before, which increases the likelihood of an overdose.
- Withdrawal: When someone who regularly uses drugs loses access to their supply or stops using, they can experience extreme symptoms of withdrawal, including pain, anxiety, depression, nausea, muscle aches, and much more. Avoiding withdrawal symptoms and “getting well” is the primary reason people in active addiction continue to use drugs. If untreated, withdrawal symptoms can make it impossible to function in daily life.
- Harm Reduction: Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. Harm reduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs. Often confused with “enabling drug use,” harm reduction simply decreases the negative consequences of existing drug use, while supporting people on their unique recovery journeys.
Some of the drugs in this list could be classified as multiple drug types, as they exhibit some overlapping effects. It is also common for drug samples on the illicit market to contain several different substances with complementing or competing effects.
- Opioids: Opioids are effective pain-relievers that can cause euphoria and lead to addiction, whether they are legally or illegally obtained. During an opioid overdose, a person may stop breathing and their heart may stop beating as their central nervous system shuts down.
- Prescription Opioids: To relieve pain, doctors may prescribe their patients opioids like oxycodone (OxyContin®), morphine, and even fentanyl for severe pain. When prescription opioids are distributed directly by legitimate medical professionals, their purity and strength as labeled can be trusted.
- Illicit Opioids: Illicit opioids include heroin and any other opioids that are produced outside of a legitimate pharmaceutical laboratory. Opioids that are made illegally are far more dangerous than prescription opioids because people using them cannot verify their purity or strength.
- Fentanyl: Synthetic opioids like fentanyl are the leading driver of the overdose epidemic. Because they are extremely powerful, just a tiny amount of fentanyl (or variations of fentanyl called analogues) can be lethal. Fentanyl is often mixed into drugs without the knowledge of the people using them. For more information, see Fentanyl 101.
- Stimulants: Stimulants (or “psychostimulants”) increase activity in the body and can lead to fatal overheating or “over-amping.” Examples of stimulants include methamphetamine, cocaine, and amphetamine medications prescribed for the treatment of ADHD, like Adderall®. Someone experiencing a stimulant overdose usually remains conscious and may exhibit signs of extreme anxiety, rapid breathing, or psychosis.
- Depressants / Sedatives: Like opioids, sedatives depress the body’s central nervous system and can lead to fatal interruptions in breathing and heart rate. Examples of depressants include alcohol, anti-anxiety medications like benzodiazepines, and tranquilizers like xylazine. Like other drugs, they can be prescribed by medical professionals or mixed with other substances and distributed illegally. For more information, see Xylazine in Minnesota.
- Psychedelics / Dissociatives: Psychedelic or dissociative drugs temporarily alter thought patterns, mood, and perceptions of reality, and they can trigger a wide variety of health effects and safety concerns. In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature established the Minnesota Psychedelic Medicine Taskforce to study the effects and potential medical applications of three specific psychedelics: MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD.
- Naloxone: Naloxone is a medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose when administered in time (also known under the brand name Narcan®). It is available to the public in two legal forms: nasal spray and muscle injection. In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature required all schools, law enforcement officers, correctional facilities, and recovery housing units to have naloxone readily available. Visit Naloxone Basics to learn more.
- Good Samaritan Law: Minnesota’s Good Samaritan Law provides limited legal immunity to people who call 911 to save a life during an overdose. It also allows first responders, law enforcement, and lay people to administer naloxone in good faith to anyone experiencing an overdose.
- Drug Checking: Tools like fentanyl test strips allow people who use drugs to check the purity of their drug samples, empowering them with more information that can help prevent an overdose. In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature legalized all drug checking equipment. Fentanyl test strips can be purchased online or received for free from Minnesota harm reduction groups like the Steve Rummler HOPE Network. Visit Fentanyl Test Strips to Prevent Drug Overdose (PDF) or Fentanyl Basics to learn more.
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): Doctor-supervised therapy involving the use of medications (like methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone) that relieve patients’ opioid withdrawal symptoms and empower them to stop using illicit opioids. MAT is the gold standard for treating substance use disorders. For more information, visit Follow-up Care After Drug Overdose.
- Fast Tracker MN: The Fast Tracker MN website is a search tool to find treatment centers for mental health and substance use disorder services. It provides the locations and contact information for treatment providers statewide in real time. If your clinic or treatment center is not listed, you may request to add it to the Fast Tracker at Fast Tracker - Register your Organization.
- SSP Calendar: Syringe Service Programs (known as SSPs) provide direct support to people who use drugs. Visit the MDH Syringe Services Program Network Calendar to locate a harm reduction group near you and review their services and hours of operation. Most of them offer everything from harm reduction supplies and HIV testing to peer support and treatment referrals.
References/Resources
Read the Overdose Cluster Response Messaging: A Guide for Public Health and prevention organizations (PDF) document for further suggestions on language and images to use and how to shape a prevention-focused narrative when talking about overdoses. Please visit MDH's Drug Overdose Dashboard for information about overdose related topics in Minnesota.
Other useful websites to visit include:
Last Updated: 05/16/2024