Teach kids to recognize drug/alcohol overdose

[Anonymous]

Hi.

I recently remembered seeing drug and alcohol overdoses when I was in high school. None of us knew what to do. Worse, we didn't know how to recognize a real life threatening emergency.

So, I came here to suggest that parents teach kids to recognize a medical emergency, to know how to monitor pulse, breathing, skin perfusion, mental state, etc.

My friend's friend died of heroin overdose at 19 because his friends thought he was asleep. I think if someone had known to check his pulse and breathing, he may have survived.

[Anonymous]

Also, if someone passes out after drinking, turn them on their side so they don't suffocate on their own puke.

I'm going to look into a first aid class for my 13 yr old.

[Anonymous]

Unlike you apparently, I trust my teens to not get in such situations.

But yes, if your teen's a junkie, teach them to recognize an overdose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unlike you apparently, I trust my teens to not get in such situations.

But yes, if your teen's a junkie, teach them to recognize an overdose.

Your kids don't attend parties, correct?

[Anonymous]

IME kids usually know when something's wrong unless they are too strung out to notice. They do not call parents or 911 because they are afraid of getting in trouble. In some jurisdictions if there is a drug overdose, police come. What kid would call in that circumstance?

The important thing for kids to know is that if there has been drinking or drugs and something seems really off in a kid who has been partaking they should call 911. Or possibly a parent if it doesn't seem too dire--but time lost administering Narcan for opiates can result in a death, so I prefer 911.

In the more stringent jurisdictions, people have been known to take the affected kid out to the sidewalk for the ambulance to find. In the meantime, they disperse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IME kids usually know when something's wrong unless they are too strung out to notice. They do not call parents or 911 because they are afraid of getting in trouble. In some jurisdictions if there is a drug overdose, police come. What kid would call in that circumstance?

The important thing for kids to know is that if there has been drinking or drugs and something seems really off in a kid who has been partaking they should call 911. Or possibly a parent if it doesn't seem too dire--but time lost administering Narcan for opiates can result in a death, so I prefer 911.

In the more stringent jurisdictions, people have been known to take the affected kid out to the sidewalk for the ambulance to find. In the meantime, they disperse.

This is exactly why I think kids need to know to read vital signs, etc. So that if out of fear or ignorance some refuse to call 911, your kid can say "his heart beat is fast, weak and irregular. We must call"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unlike you apparently, I trust my teens to not get in such situations.

But yes, if your teen's a junkie, teach them to recognize an overdose.

OP here. Will your kid be allowed at parties, concerts and festivals? If yes, odds are that your kid will witness an overdose. Odds are, othera at the party will want the sick kid to sleep it off. And wouldn't it be sweet if your kid could read pulse, breath etc and know whether the person is safely asleep, or needs professional help.

Or would you rather that your kid wag their finger at a sick kid and say "drugs are bad, mmkay."

Anyway, it doesn't take a junkie to OD. Easy example. Kid is drunk and having a good time. Someone gives her a pill, which she takes because she is drunk and not thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unlike you apparently, I trust my teens to not get in such situations.

But yes, if your teen's a junkie, teach them to recognize an overdose.

OP here. Will your kid be allowed at parties, concerts and festivals? If yes, odds are that your kid will witness an overdose. Odds are, othera at the party will want the sick kid to sleep it off. And wouldn't it be sweet if your kid could read pulse, breath etc and know whether the person is safely asleep, or needs professional help.

Or would you rather that your kid wag their finger at a sick kid and say "drugs are bad, mmkay."

Anyway, it doesn't take a junkie to OD. Easy example. Kid is drunk and having a good time. Someone gives her a pill, which she takes because she is drunk and not thinking.

No school dances or football games either, I guess.

[Anonymous]

My over 21 year old had an episode of alcohol poisoning from binge drinking. He went to a basketball game with a friend visiting from out of town. I trusted the friend as a sensible kid. I didn't hear them come home around 2 a.m.
At about 7 on a Sunday morning, I heard a phone alarm go off. I found my son catatonic in the bathroom, unresponsive. Alcohol reeking from his pores. For some reason I drove him to the ER instead of calling the ambulance. He had an irregular heartbeat and an alcohol blood level almost 3 times the legal limit, if I recall correctly. He could have certainly died by aspirating his own vomit or worse.
And the friend? Why didn't the friend wake us up and say "Your kid really overdid it and I am scared?" Instead he dragged him into the house, dragged him down the stairs, and went to sleep himself.
Moral of the story: I sure wish kids would err on the side of getting professional help, and never figure they could just sleep it off.
(And for those who are wondering, yes we got him help for the alcohol issue).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My over 21 year old had an episode of alcohol poisoning from binge drinking. He went to a basketball game with a friend visiting from out of town. I trusted the friend as a sensible kid. I didn't hear them come home around 2 a.m.
At about 7 on a Sunday morning, I heard a phone alarm go off. I found my son catatonic in the bathroom, unresponsive. Alcohol reeking from his pores. For some reason I drove him to the ER instead of calling the ambulance. He had an irregular heartbeat and an alcohol blood level almost 3 times the legal limit, if I recall correctly. He could have certainly died by aspirating his own vomit or worse.
And the friend? Why didn't the friend wake us up and say "Your kid really overdid it and I am scared?" Instead he dragged him into the house, dragged him down the stairs, and went to sleep himself.
Moral of the story: I sure wish kids would err on the side of getting professional help, and never figure they could just sleep it off.
(And for those who are wondering, yes we got him help for the alcohol issue).

Not to go all mama bear on this thread, but did you rip the friend a new asshole? How did you and your son handle things with the friend after this?

[Anonymous]

We have had two incidents involving responsible friends. One was alcohol poisoning. DC was cold and clammy and periodically unresponsive. Friends called me, helped put DC into car and I went straight to the ER.

Second involved drugs at home. Friend came and got me because DC was unresponsive and friend couldn't rouse. i called 911 immediately--I actually didn't know it was drugs until after the call when I got the information out of the friend.

Point is it was perfectly obvious to the friends something was seriously amiss. They got me because they knew I wouldn't freak out on them. And I am not worried about any consequences from calling 911.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, if someone passes out after drinking, turn them on their side so they don't suffocate on their own puke.

I'm going to look into a first aid class for my 13 yr old.

Their right side.

[Anonymous]

IMO, all teens should take a first aid/CPR class, not to deal with overdoses specifically, but so that they can be calmer if there's an emergency.

I was the teen called to the crazy parties where friends were drinking and/or dong drugs. I had the lovely job of determining whether the kid needed to sleep or go to the hospital and then figuring out who was the least messed up at the party so that they could drive. Twice, I said that we were going to the ER, and got to get out of the car with an unconscious kid as the car took off, that way they wouldn't get in trouble. Rural area, hospital knew me, and I was willing to take any tests they wanted to prove that I was sober, so I never got into trouble. One kid was in an alcohol-induced coma for 3 days, some brain damage when he finally woke up, never came back to school. The other was touch and go, eventually came back the next year.

Most of the "good kids" were the kids at the parties. They were going to Ivys and other great colleges, they were the sports stars, they were the prefects. The bad kids? They avoided the parties because they knew that they would be kicked out of school, so they did their drinking and drug use in small groups quietly. Then there were the few of us who didn't drink, didn't do drugs, and didn't sleep with anything that moved. The others didn't want to be involved, they didn't feel a responsibility to our friends, or they just were tired of the hypocrisy. It happens. It doesn't matter who you think your child is. Any gathering of teens can have alcohol or drugs, and parents are the last to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unlike you apparently, I trust my teens to not get in such situations.

But yes, if your teen's a junkie, teach them to recognize an overdose.

This is such a ridiculous approach to parenting. I hope you don't fall from that holier than though perch you are on.
My child called 911 and carried another kid who passed out and could not be roused, and who started to vomit. He was vomited on by the passed out kid as he carried him out To the medics. He was late for his curfew and I was so glad that he did the right thing and potentially saved this kid from very bad consequences. I am so grateful he didn't worry about upsetting us or getting in curfew trouble and that he stayed to help this kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unlike you apparently, I trust my teens to not get in such situations.

But yes, if your teen's a junkie, teach them to recognize an overdose.

You realize YOUR kid doesn't have to be a junkie in order to benefit from knowing how to identify overdose / alcohol poisoning? THe OP is suggesting there is always reason to teach them how to recognize this in others. So, you know when your good kid is the only sober one at a party and someone passes out and starts vomiting, at least they will know what to do to save a life, rather than leaving that person to die.

Aside from that, even good kids sometimes make mistakes. I have a friend who got alcohol poisoning the very first time she drank, which also was after she became of age. Ended up in hospital for a week. She had no idea how much alcohol she could or couldn't handle and was just "going with the flow" when people were buying rounds. She didn't mean to almost end up dead, but there it is.