TO mark National Recovery Month, the Tele has been sharing inspiring stories and finding out more about services available to people across Inverclyde who are affected by alcohol and drug use. 

And Team Tele decided to show their commitment to helping people by taking a naloxone training course.

Naloxone is a drug which temporarily reverses the effects of a potentially fatal opioid overdose and gives time for the emergency services to arrive and administer further treatment.

I knew a bit about naloxone before taking on the training course, but I wasn't equipped with the skills needed to potentially save someone's life. 

Lesley Bon, harm reduction and capacity building officer for Inverclyde Alcohol & Drug Partnership (ADP), and Rachel Taylor, family support development officer at Scottish Families delivered the training at the Telegraph office.

Rachel and Lesley provided us with an incredible amount of background information on drug-related deaths, types of drugs, the causes of overdose, and how to administer naloxone. 

We learned that naloxone is an 'antagonist' and hooks onto receptors in the brain to kick the central nervous system back into action. 

Team Tele being trained in the use of naloxone. (Image: George Munro) It searches for opioids in the body and won't be of any danger to the individual if it doesn't find any. 

Naloxone can be administered in the form of an injection, or as a nasal spray (nyxoid). 

Our trainers explained that drugs fall into seven different categories - stimulants, empathogens, psychedelics, disassociates, cannabinoids, depressants, and opioids - and that 90 per cent of drug-related deaths involve opioids. 

As the Telegraph has already reported, there were 26 drug-related deaths in Inverclyde in 2023. 

Lesley and Rachel revealed that in 24 of these deaths, there was one or more opioid in the person's system, meaning that if naloxone had been used, 24 lives could potentially have been saved. 

When considering where you would be most likely to see someone who may be experiencing an opioid overdose, you would perhaps think of finding someone slumped on the ground outside. 

The training made us aware that opioids can be prescribed, so someone could suffer an overdose at home that can still be tackled. 

Hopefully making more people aware of this will help to reduce the stigma around drug-related deaths. 

The stigma is a huge factor in why more people don't reach out for help. 

(Image: George Munro) The Tele team learned that factors which increase the risk of someone suffering an overdose include using drugs alone, homelessness, mixing drugs, injecting, and poor mental and physical health. 

Being 35 and older, not being treatment, and having endured a near fatal overdose within the last 12 months are also contributing elements. 

Symptoms of an overdose include a person being unresponsive, snoring, blue lips, shallow breathing, pale skin, and pinpoint pupils.

We got the chance to open some of the naloxone and nyxoid training kits and test them out on a plastic model. 

The syringe is pre-loaded with five doses of naloxone (2ml in total), and two nasal sprays are equivalent to one full injection. 

We learned how to administer CPR in between doses of naloxone, and that the person's recovery will depend upon how much opioid is already in their system. 

Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce a national naloxone programme, which provides individuals, families, friends and communities with the tools and skills needed to reverse an opiate overdose. 

Inverclyde ADP has taken the lead on providing training and issuing naloxone locally in recent years. 

Between January 2022 and December 2023, 911 naloxone kits were issued across Inverclyde, and 577 people were trained. 

Inverclyde ADP runs naloxone training sessions for people who live, work, or volunteer locally. 

To find out more visit inverclydeadp.org.uk or email adpartnership@Inverclyde.gov.uk

To get in touch with Scottish Families to order naloxone kits, visit www.sfad.org.uk/support-services/take-home-naloxone-application

Inverclyde councillor Robert Moran, chair of the integrated joint board which oversees health and social care services in the area, is another who has recently completed a naloxone training course.

He said: "We cannot and do not shy away from the drugs issues we have in Inverclyde.

"I had the training last year and I now carry a naloxone kit in my car alongside my first aid kit. 

"It was simple and really brought home the difference naloxone can make to anyone in overdose.

"Quite simply, naloxone can save a life.

"I would support and encourage anyone who thinks this may be useful in their personal or working life to undertake the training."