28 August 2024
On International Overdose Awareness Day, local man Kev Speller is sharing an important message: there is life after drug and alcohol dependence.
Kev, who had his first drink in his teens and later became dependent on a wide range of illicit drugs, now works for local drug and alcohol service, WithYou in North Somerset.
To honour all those who’ve lost their lives to drug overdoses, Kev is speaking up about his own experiences to raise awareness of the drug and alcohol support available across the county. He says:
“I started drinking alcohol in my teenage years and then moved onto drugs. First it was amphetamines, and before I knew it, I’d tried nearly everything out there.
“It was a really dark time in my life. I knew that my health was starting to really suffer but I couldn’t find a way out. At the age of 42, everything just fell apart for me. I was drinking so much that a vein burst in my oesophagus and I nearly died.
“After I was discharged from hospital, I started a home detox. After detox, I entered Westcliffe House, a local rehab programme, and once that ended, I started volunteering there. A few months later, I became a recovery worker - that was in 2000 - and I’ve been working for the drug and alcohol service in North Somerset ever since!
“I wish I’d known that there was a way out of my dependence years before my life blew up and I entered detox. That’s why I’m raising awareness of the services available across North Somerset now!!”
Reflecting on the importance of knowing how to help someone if they overdose, Kev is also highlighting how anyone can help to save a life by calling 999 and using naloxone, which is a medicine which temporarily reverses the effects of opioid drugs like heroin, methadone, fentanyl and nitazenes.
Talking about naloxone, Kev says:
“It’s really important that anyone carrying naloxone and who is witnessing an overdose feels confident using it. Naloxone temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, and this can be enough to save someone’s life.
“Naloxone also works on synthetic opioids like nitazenes and fentanyl. This is especially important, as we’re seeing an increasing number of illicit drugs being contaminated with synthetic opioids across the UK. This means that if you think someone has overdosed and you’re not sure what they’ve taken, you should use naloxone, especially because naloxone will not cause harm to a person who hasn’t used opioids.
“The more people who carry and know how to use naloxone, the more we can prevent people dying from overdoses.”
WithYou in North Somerset offers free and confidential support services to adults, young people and families struggling with drug or alcohol dependence. Get in touch by calling 01934 427940 or visiting wearewithyou.org.uk.
