Staying Alive on the Outside: Opioid Overdose Prevention and Response for People Leaving Prison

Each year, more than half a million men and women in America are released from prison or jail. The first two weeks following release is associated with a 129 times increased risk of death by drug overdose, often due to a loss of tolerance during incarceration. However, a bystander can reverse opioid overdose using rescue breathing and Naloxone, an opioid antagonist drug. This video teaches viewers to prevent and recognize opioid overdoses, and how to intervene when they happen. Through interviews, conversation, and model training sessions, Rhode Island harm reduction community members candidly discuss the challenges of reentry from prison, opioid addiction and relapse, and misconceptions about opioid tolerance and overdose. Viewers learn strategies to avoid overdose while using opioids, and what to do if they witness an overdose. The educational focus is on Naloxone dose assembly and administration, with engaging, clear demonstrations of both intranasal and intramuscular dose administration. Viewers are encouraged to think about the possibility of overdose happening to them or to someone around them, and to plan for both situations, including strategies for calling 911, post-reversal care, and overdose planning with a friend or family member. The video is meant to accompany Naloxone distribution, either in release planning at a correctional facility, or in the community.